Heartbreak
by misakichi1
Summary: After the fight with Naraku, Kagome is heartbroken over InuYasha and leaves with Kouga. 5 years later, Kagome is pregnant and Kouga has an affair. Kagome finally comes back, and she wants InuYasha to be her baby's father! IK some MS
1. Reunion

Disclaimer: No, I don't Inu-Yasha. ( Boo hoo.  
  
'Kouga, I've been with you for five years, and now, when I'm carrying your first child, you have an AFFAIR? You used to be so sweet with me, but now I realize you don't even care about me- about our child! I gave up my family, my life for you! I should have listened to Inu-Yasha; he knew something would go wrong. Inu-Yasha! I miss you so much. I wish it were your child, but I was so stupid I left the man I truly love. Please, come back for me. I loved you- I still love you, but when I saw you with Kikyo, I thought there was no place in your heart for me. Please! Show me I was wrong- take me away from this nightmare.' Kagome was shocked at the note that horrible Kouga left her. He ran away with some woman he barely knew, leaving behind his wife and unborn child! Kagome wanted to just go back in time and marry Inu-Yasha instead.  
  
Flashback  
  
"Inu-Yasha!" Kagome yelled. She was trying to fight off Naraku, but Inu- Yasha went to take care of Kikyo first. Kagome was bleeding everywhere, but no matter how hard she screamed, Inu-Yasha didn't even look back at her. After the fight, Kagome had put together all the pieces of the Shikon no Tama. She wanted to make sure everyone was ok, but she didn't want to face Inu-Yasha, not yet. That's when Kouga showed up. He took Kagome away, away from the heartbreak, the hurt.  
  
End  
  
"I wish I were back with Inu-Yasha, with the gang I left 5 years ago."  
  
'What's stopping you, Kagome? Kouga left; no one can keep you from going back.' A small voice in her head remarked. 'You can go back through the well, see your family. You can go back to Inu-Yasha. You know it's what you want.' Kagome finally consented and started her way back to the old village. It took her a week to get there, but finally, the familiar Goshinboku was in sight.  
  
Inu-Yasha picked up Kagome's scent. It had been years since he smelled her. He thought it was a dream, but no- she was really there! He rushed to her, and was shocked when he realized there was another scent on her. She was pregnant. He couldn't believe it. 'Still, I could be wrong, it's been a while since I've sensed her. When she came in view, he realized he wasn't wrong.  
  
"Inu-Yasha!" Kagome exclaimed with tears of joy. " I missed you. I'm so sorry I left. Please forgive me."  
  
"Kagome- I don't believe it." Inu-Yasha smiled. Then he remembered-"Whose child is it?"  
  
"What?" Kagome asked shocked. She had forgotten about the baby. "You didn't miss me?" she asked, hoping to change the subject.  
  
"Of course I did, but I want to know whose child it is."  
  
"Just sit down for a second." -Thump- Kagome forgot his necklace was still on after all these years. "Oh, my gosh, sorry! I forgot!"  
  
Inu-Yasha cleared his throat. "Let's get back to the village."  
  
"Good idea. I can't wait to see everyone."  
  
As soon as they got there, a 10-year-old kitsune hugged her like his life depended on it.  
  
"Shippo! You've grown so much! Oh, I missed you."  
  
Soon, Sango and Miroku came out of a small hut. Sango was pregnant too. "Kagome! It's been so long."  
  
After all the 'I missed you!'s were finished, they went back to Kaede's hut for tea.  
  
"Kagome, where have you been?" Shippo asked.  
  
"I've been-" Kagome sighed. "I've been with Kouga."  
  
"WHAT?" Inu-Yasha flew into a rage. The baby's father is that WOLF?"  
  
"Yes." She replied softly.  
  
"Where is he? I ought to-"  
  
"He's not here. He left me."  
  
"Oh, Kagome," Sango started, sympathetically.  
  
"Don't. It's a good thing! I never really loved him."  
  
"Then why did you leave, Kagome-sama?"  
  
"Because~ I thought I did. Well, I thought I would grow to love him. He was really sweet at first, but he had an affair. So he left me and the baby."  
  
"You never seemed like you loved him before." Miroku observed.  
  
"I know, but I just wanted to get away from everything."  
  
"What do you mean 'everything.'" Kaede asked.  
  
"I just thought that no one cared enough to want me to stick around."  
  
"What are you talking about? We all loved you."  
  
"Not Inu-Yasha." She whispered.  
  
"You mean it's my fault you left?" Inu-Yasha asked guiltily. After all, he was the most affected by her leave.  
  
"No! It's- it's Kikyo's."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"During the fight with Naraku, you were protecting Kikyo, even though she wasn't hurt, but you just ignored me."  
  
"Kagome, I-" She was right, and Inu-Yasha knew it. "Kikyo died because of me once, and I didn't want it to happen again."  
  
"I know, but I was really hurt, and that's when Kouga appeared. He said he could take me away from it all, and I agreed. We got married, but now... I'm sorry I left."  
  
"You left because you were heartbroken. Kagome, we don't blame you."  
  
"It was my fault." Inu-Yasha was couldn't believe it was his fault she left. He was the one who wanted her to come back the most, and this time, he wasn't afraid to admit it.  
  
"Inu-Yasha, I'm sorry. It wasn't your fault! It was mine. I was too weak to realize that Kouga only wanted the Shikon no Tama, and after I refused to give it to him, he left."  
  
"What ever did happen to the Shikon no Tama?" Sango asked.  
  
"I kept it." She pulled the jewel out of her bag. Inu-Yasha stared at the complete Shikon no Tama. It had been years since he'd seen it. The typical Inu-Yasha would take it and use it to become a demon, but he was too upset over Kagome to care.  
  
"How many months?" Inu-Yasha asked.  
  
"What?" She asked.  
  
"How many months until the baby's born?"  
  
"6," she replied.  
  
"The baby should have a father, you know..." he trailed off.  
  
"Are you offering," she asked smiling.  
  
"I guess."  
  
A/N: What do you think? Does it suck? PLEASE review! I'm not putting up another chapter until I have, uh, at least 100 reviews! J/K, but still PLZ review! Bai~ *Sarah* 


	2. Family

Disclaimer: I always write this: I don't own Inu-Yasha, but this time I DON'T CARE!! No more disclaimers for this story! I'm sick of it! (Yeah, just so you know, I'm a little eccentric.) On with the story~  
  
Kagome sighed. It had been a month since she came back to the village. For the first time in years, she was truly happy. She lived in Kaede's hut where Inu-Yasha had agreed to live in (to help out with the baby). Inu- Yasha was so protective of her; he wouldn't let her walk on her own, he would carry her! She had gotten used to the fact that she wouldn't be able to do anything on her own for the next 5 months, and settled in quite nicely. There was only 1 problem. She wanted to go back to her family, but she didn't know how they would react. They hadn't seen her in 5 years.  
  
Flashback  
  
"Kouga, can I say goodbye to my family before we go?"  
  
"Sure." He replied. Kagome flew down the well.  
  
~~  
  
"Mom? Sota? Grandpa? I'm home!"  
  
"Kagome! It's been a while! Wait, why are your clothes so dirty?" Kagome's mom asked.  
  
"Well, I've been in a fight or two. Um, anyways, are Sota and Grandpa here?"  
  
"Yeah, they're upstairs, why?"  
  
"I have some bad news."  
  
"What is it dear? Are you ok?"  
  
"Yeah. Mom, I've decided to- to leave for a while. I don't think I'll come back for-" Kagome paused. She didn't know how long she'd be gone. "um, a few years."  
  
"Why? Where are you going?" Kagome's mother asked, shocked.  
  
"I'm, uh~" She didn't know how she could explain it to her mother. What was she going to say? 'Sorry mom, I'm leaving with a wolf demon because Inu- Yasha broke my heart and I don't know when I'll come back because I'll probably marry him, even though I don't love him.' Yeah, that's real smooth.  
  
"I've decided to go with a friend to a place far from the village." 'I guess that makes sense.' Kagome thought to herself.  
  
"Oh, honey. If it's what you really want, then I have to let you go. Don't worry, I'll tell Sota and Grandpa. But- please try to visit."  
  
Kagome was amazed at how well her mother was taking it. It's like she was pushing her out the door! "Mommy, I'll miss you."  
  
"We'll miss you too, honey. I love you."  
  
"Thanks for taking it so well. Tell Sota and Grandpa I love them." Kagome hugged her mom one last time and started walking to the well house.  
  
~~  
  
"Ok Kouga, I'm ready."  
  
End  
  
'What'll they think now that I'm pregnant? Well, I'll just have to find out.'  
  
She told everyone where she was going and walked toward the well.  
  
"Kagome, wait! I'll go with you, you know, just in case." Inu-Yasha said. Kagome agreed and they left the Feudal Age.  
  
~~  
  
"Mom!! Sota!! Grandpa!!" Kagome exclaimed.  
  
"Onee-chan??" Sota ran toward the source of the familiar voice.  
  
"Sota! It's been so long!"  
  
"Kagome, you're p-pregnant!"  
  
"Yeah,"  
  
"Oh my gosh, I'm an uncle!"  
  
"Yeah!"  
  
"Kagome?" Her mother was surprised to hear the sound of her daughter's voice after all these years.  
  
"Mom, it's me! (And Inu-Yasha)"  
  
"Kagome, you're pregnant!"  
  
"I am."  
  
"Eh, Kagome?" Her grandfather had also joined the group.  
  
"Yep, it's me, with a baby!" They all hugged. Kagome stayed with her family for a few days.  
  
~~  
  
"Kagome, where have you been all these years?" Her mother inquired.  
  
"Well, it's kind of a really long story."  
  
"We have time."  
  
"It started like this. After this big fight we had, I felt a little~ weird, and I sort of wanted to get away. Um, a friend offered to take me away, and I said yes. I decided to run away from my problems. I married him, because I thought I loved him, but he was using me to get to the jewel. I never gave it to him, so he left me, about a month ago."  
  
"Is that baby his?"  
  
"Yeah, it is. I'm sorry it's been so long. So~ how's everybody been?"  
  
"Sota has a girlfriend!" Her grandfather shouted, teasingly.  
  
"No I don't!" he yelled back.  
  
"Who is she?" Kagome asked mischievously.  
  
"None of your business!" Sota snapped.  
  
"Come on, Sota."  
  
"It's that girl he's had a crush on for who knows how long- Sakura!" Kagome's mother joined in the fun of taunting her son.  
  
"You still like her? You're 15 now, and you still like her?" The teasing went on for what seemed like forever to Sota, when finally Kagome mentioned that she was tired. One by one, they fell asleep, except for Inu-Yasha, who kept watch over the family.  
  
Inu-Yasha stood by Kagome's doorway, gazing at her calm, peaceful figure, shifting slightly every so often. "I love you, Kagome. I'll admit it this time."  
  
A/N: What do you think? Like it? Hate it? R+R!! If I don't get- hm, 15 reviews, I'm not finishing the story. I don't care, your loss, not mine! Bye- *Sarah* 


	3. Visitor

A/N: I know I said '15 reviews,' but I decided I'd just put this one up anyways. (No disclaimer- HAH!)  
  
Kouga sat thinking for a minute. Kagome was probably upset over his departure. 'Why wouldn't she be? I'm 'the love of her life' aren't I? I feel sort of bad for leaving her. Maybe I _should_ take care of the baby. But I was getting tired of her. She didn't give me the jewel, so what's the difference? I'm much more satisfied with- what's her name? I don't care, but she knew what I wanted (perverted grin).' (I know I'm making Kouga a jerk, but who cares? I never liked him!) Kouga wasn't sure which was more important: his _pleasure_ or his child. 'It's my responsibility. I'll visit her.' He expected her to be waiting at his 'home', but realized she probably went back to her old village.  
  
~~  
  
"Bye guys! I'll visit in- um, how about a week?"  
  
"Sure! Bye Kagome."  
  
Kagome left for the feudal age, with Inu-Yasha helping her in EVERYTHING she did. (Including walking, heck, he would help her breathe if he could.)  
  
When they arrived, Kagome dragged Inu-Yasha to the forest. "Inu-Yasha? Do you, um, do you really love me?" Kagome asked nervously.  
  
Inu-Yasha's first instinct was 'Keh, what gave you that idea, stupid girl,' but he didn't want to drive her away again. "Of course." He replied gently.  
  
"Good. I want more than anything for you to be the baby's father."  
  
~~  
  
Kouga ran (fast as ever, even though he didn't have any shards.) He entered Inu-Yasha's forest when he thought he heard Kagome's voice.. and Inu- Yasha's.  
  
"I want more than anything for you to be the baby's father." Kouga thought for a second. 'I'm the baby's father!' he wanted to scream, but he stood still watching the scene that played out.  
  
"My heart was never with Kouga. It was always with you. It will _always_ be with you. I love you, and I want you to love the baby like it's your own. So.." Kagome took the Shikon no Tama out of her pouch. "I wish the baby's biological father would be-"  
  
"Wait!" Kouga commanded. "That baby is mine."  
  
(A/N: this would be an interesting place to stop, but then the chapter would be too short.)  
  
"Wolf! You dare show your face after what you put Kagome through?"  
  
"What does it matter to you? She ran away from you!" The words stung Inu- Yasha and Kagome.  
  
"How can you call the baby yours when you deserted it? When you were just using me?"  
  
"I live up to my responsibilities."  
  
"Well, it's not your responsibility anymore. Even if I don't make this wish, how are you sure I'll go back to you? I never loved you. I will love my child, and I love Inu-Yasha, and nothing will stop us from becoming the family we deserve to be. I won't let my child have a cheating, lying, horribly poor excuse for a demon, as a father. So back off."  
  
"If you don't make the wish, don't you think the baby will know Inu-Yasha's a dog demon, and he's a wolf?"  
  
"Will that make a difference? I really don't care, as long as we're happy, and we will never be happy with you around. So go back to that tramp you left me for and knock her up. Just leave us alone." Kagome spat. She was furious, to say the least.  
  
"I won't let that DOG raise my child."  
  
"It hasn't gotten through to you? IT'S NOT YOUR CHILD! BACK OFF!" Inu-Yasha yelled. He knew he would be a better father than Kouga.  
  
"I'm the baby's mother and I call the shots. It's time for you to leave. Now GO!"  
  
"Fine. I'll be happy to leave. But when the dog turns out to be a horrible father, don't expect me to care." Kouga finally left, letting Kagome get on with making the wish.  
  
"I wish Inu-Yasha was the biological father of my baby." The jewel sparkled, and Kagome felt something in her stomach move. The baby kicked! It was a rebel, just like it's father- it's true father. The jewel disappeared and her hand was empty. Inu-Yasha patted Kagome's stomach gingerly.  
  
"I love you." He told Kagome. She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately. He deepened the kiss and explored the contents of her mouth (if you catch my drift). They traveled back to the village.  
  
~~  
  
Kagome realized one thing she forgot to ask about: Sango's pregnancy. 'How am I so stupid that I didn't notice for like, a month?'  
  
"Sango! I forgot to ask you something. Who's the father?"  
  
"You finally got it?"  
  
"Yeah, I've been spacing out lately."  
  
"Anyways, the father is none other than-" she paused for a second, looking at Kagome sheepishly. "Miroku."  
  
"OH, MY GOODNESS!!!"  
  
"I know, it's weird, but I really love him, and he hasn't done anything perverted with any other girls."  
  
"That's an improvement, I guess, but I never would've thought."  
  
"I know, but you have to admit. He is so HOT!!!"  
  
"Well, he's not as hot as Inu-Yasha!"  
  
"Keep fooling yourself, girl." The two friends laughed. Things were getting back to normal (whatever normal was).  
  
~~  
  
As the days passed, Kagome was 'showing' a little bit more than she should have been. Actually, a lot more than she should have been. She was pretty fat, and only half way through her pregnancy!  
  
"Kaede? Is it normal to be showing this much after 4 months?"  
  
"Well, child, it seems as though a demon pregnancy takes less time than a human one, from what I hear."  
  
"Uh," Kagome asked nervously, "how much less?"  
  
"Why don't ye ask Inu-Yasha?"  
  
Kagome trotted along, looking for Inu-Yasha. When she finally found him, she put on a brave face, preparing for the worst.  
  
"How long does a demon pregnancy take?"  
  
Inu-Yasha, not realizing the seriousness on Kagome's face, slurped up his ramen and replied almost incoherently, "Depends on the demon."  
  
"You. How long would my pregnancy take?"  
  
"Maybe a few more weeks."  
  
"Weeks!? Maybe a few more weeks? What the heck do you mean by MAYBE?!" She boomed.  
  
Inu-Yasha, now a little scared, answered, "I'm not sure, I've never seen a pregnant inu-youkai! But I'm pretty sure you'll have a little while more."  
  
"PRETTY SURE? YOU'D BETTER BE A WHOLE LOT MORE SURE WHEN I'M IN _LABOR_!"  
  
Inu-Yasha was more than 'a little scared.' He was now frightened to his very bones! He was afraid Kagome was going to kill him if he gave a wrong answer! Instead, she passed out from the stress!  
  
He caught her just before she fell to the ground and wondered why it would be so shocking that a youkai pregnancy was a few months shorter than a human one.  
  
A/N: I hope you all liked it! I seriously think it sucks, so please review and tell me what you think! REVIEW! 


	4. Sonogram

A/N: Thanks for reviewing, peoples!  
  
"Kagome? Kagome, wake up!"  
  
"Inu-Yasha?" Kagome answered groggily. "What?" Kagome quickly came to her senses and remembered the conversation that took place a few minutes ago. "Wait. How long does a inu-youkai pregnancy take?"  
  
"Yeah, about that..."  
  
"Yeah?!?"  
  
"Imkindanotsurepleasedonthurtme!"  
  
"What?"  
  
"I don't really know."  
  
Kagome was about to faint again. "You mean to tell me that I'm going to go into labor, months before I should?"  
  
"Maybe?"  
  
"Oh, gosh. I don't believe this. I'm going to- I don't know. I guess I'll go talk to Sango."  
  
"Kagome, I'm sorry."  
  
"Yeah..."  
  
~~  
  
"Sango?"  
  
"Hey, Kagome, what's up?"  
  
"Nothing much, but Inu-Yasha said that I might be going into labor early."  
  
"What? What's 'might' supposed to mean?"  
  
"I don't know. He said he wasn't sure."  
  
"Well, you are showing a lot. And you are carrying a youkai child. I guess it's only natural."  
  
"But I don't want to be in labor early! I want a normal pregnancy, a normal child, a normal life."  
  
"I think it's kind of late, seeing as how you fell in love with a hanyou."  
  
"Sango! You know what I mean. I don't regret falling in love with him. I don't regret anything, but I would just like to know what it'd be like to have a human husband."  
  
"I know, but this is the way your life turned out, and you can't waste your time wishing it was different when you have a baby on the way!"  
  
"Thanks Sango." Neither of them knew that Inu-Yasha was outside of the hut, listening to every word they said.  
  
"She wants a human husband?" Inu-Yasha whispered to himself, insulted. "I know she loves me, but she deserves a normal life. Something I can't give her." He left quietly, feeling a horrible pain in his heart. "Or can I?"  
  
"You know, Sango, I don't even know why I thought that. I guess I was just a little freaked out about going into labor." Kagome said.  
  
"Anytime."  
  
Kagome walked out of the hut, calling for Inu-Yasha. "Inu-Yasha? Where are you?" she yelled, but there was no answer. Kagome looked around, suspecting that he was going to pop out of the bushes to scare her, but he wasn't there. Kagome was getting worried. As a last resort, she yelled, "SIT!" but she didn't even hear a thump. That meant that he was far from the village.  
  
"Where are you?" She yelled. She smelled something odd. Almost like Inu- Yasha himself, but she never really noticed his scent before. She realized that the baby, being ¼ youkai, had the senses of its father, which also gave Kagome the same heightened senses as long as it was in her. She followed Inu-Yasha's scent carefully, but was surprised when it suddenly grew fainter, and was being replaced with a different scent, almost like... blood. "Inu-Yasha?!" Kagome grew frantic. "Where are you? Are you ok?" she yelled. No answer. "Inu-Yasha? Do you hear me?" she heard a soft grunt, filled with pain, coming from one of the trees that surrounded her. She looked for a trace of red, either his kimono or his blood.  
  
-Drip drip-  
  
"Inu-Yasha?"  
  
-Drip drip-  
  
She found a tiny puddle of blood close to her. She looked directly up and climbed the tree that the blood was coming from. "Inu-Yasha! What are you doing?" she asked.  
  
"Why are you here Kagome? How did you know I was here?"  
  
"It looks like our baby is just like its father. He/she can smell things just like you can." Kagome smiled.  
  
"Our baby," Inu-Yasha thought aloud. "That sounds nice."  
  
"Yeah, it does. Now do you mind telling me why there is blood dripping from your hand?"  
  
"It's part of a ritual, that _you_ interrupted."  
  
"What kind of ritual? I never imagined you to be the 'blood ritual' type."  
  
"It's a ritual to become human."  
  
"Honey, why do you want to be human?"  
  
"Don't you want me to be human?"  
  
"No, where did you get that idea? Wait, you didn't hear what Sango and I were talking about, did you?"  
  
"I did. If you want a normal life, I might be able to give it to you."  
  
"Inu-Yasha, I love you just like you are. I love my life just how it is, no matter how hectic it is. I don't care about having a normal life. I love you, and I never want you to change."  
  
"I love you too."  
  
"Come on, I got to get that wound dressed."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"So, how many weeks longer till I give birth?" Kagome asked while she uncomfortably made her way down the tree.  
  
"Well, not too long."  
  
"Give me an estimate."  
  
"Maybe... 3 weeks?"  
  
"Hmm. That doesn't seem too long. I'll have to tell Kaede to be ready for our baby."  
  
"I wonder if it's a boy or a girl." Inu-Yasha said.  
  
"Want me to find out?"  
  
"What? How?"  
  
"In my world, there's something called a sonogram, which is a picture of the baby, in my stomach."  
  
"So you can find out if it's a boy?"  
  
"You want a boy?"  
  
"Or a girl, I mean."  
  
"Yeah, I can."  
  
"Then, come on!" Inu-Yasha dashed to the well, dragging poor pregnant Kagome along.  
  
"Inu-Yasha, slow down." Kagome said, out of breath.  
  
"Ok, but hurry, I want to find out what our baby is."  
  
"Don't worry."  
  
~~ (One sonogram later)  
  
"Inu-Yasha! I got the sonogram back! Want to see?"  
  
"Of course!" he stared at the picture. "What the heck am I looking at?"  
  
"You are looking at one healthy baby girl!"  
  
"It's a girl?" Inu-Yasha said excitedly, trying to hide his disappointment.  
  
"Oh, honey, I know you wanted a boy, but as long as she's healthy, who cares?"  
  
"I know. I just always imagined a son."  
  
"Well, who says we won't have one?"  
  
"You're right."  
  
"I always am."  
  
"Wow. I'm a father. I'm the father of a little girl. I'm going to have a daughter!"  
  
"_We're_ going to have a daughter." She corrected. "I can't wait to tell Sango!"  
  
She exited the hut in search of her best friend, and left Inu-Yasha in his thoughts.  
  
"Sango?"  
  
"Yeah?" Sango replied.  
  
"Guess what? I'm having a girl!"  
  
"A girl? How do you know?"  
  
"In my world, you can take pictures of the baby in the womb and find out if it's a girl or a boy." She said, giving her the same explanation that she gave Inu-Yasha.  
  
"Wow! Do you think I can do that? Miroku and I are anxious to find out what it is."  
  
"Sure, just find Miroku and we'll go!"  
  
"Ok." She turned. "Miroku?" she called.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"I have a surprise! Well, Kagome has a surprise."  
  
"What is it, Kagome-sama?"  
  
"The surprise is in my world, so come on." The two pregnant woman and the confused monk made their way to the well, and Kagome quickly stopped at her house to get some clothes for them. Kagome thought it would be strange if a demon exterminator and a monk showed up at the doctor's office.  
  
"Ok, here are the results." The doctor said to the couple. She showed them the picture and told them exactly what they wanted to know: their baby was healthy, and it was a boy.  
  
"It's a boy!" Miroku exclaimed.  
  
"Our baby's healthy!"  
  
"Good for you guys!" Kagome said. "Maybe your son will get along with my daughter."  
  
"Thanks Kagome-chan. I can't believe it's a boy!"  
  
"I'm so happy for you!" "I can't wait to be a mother." Sango exclaimed.  
  
"Me neither."  
  
A/N: What did you think? Like? Hate? REVIEW! *Sarah* 


	5. Labor

A/N: Do you people ever review??  
  
"By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."  
  
Kagome smiled brightly. It was finally her wedding day.  
  
Kagome woke up as the sun's rays shone on her face. She thought about her dream for a second. Did it mean she wanted to get married? 'Of course I want to get married.... but does Inu-Yasha?' She decided to ask him that morning.  
  
"Good morning, Inu-Yasha!"  
  
"Good morning," he replied, planting a kiss on her forehead.  
  
'It's now or never,' Kagome thought. She hesitantly asked, "Do you want to marry me?"  
  
"M-Marry you?" he almost choked. That was the last question he expected to be asked!  
  
"You don't?" Kagome asked sorrowfully.  
  
"Of course I do. I love you."  
  
"Inu-Yasha!" Kagome hugged him tightly. "I love you so much!"  
  
"So, we're getting married!"  
  
"Oh!" Kagome squealed. "I'll need a dress, and a bouquet, I'll have to bring my family~! I'm so excited!"  
  
~~  
  
Kagome walked down the aisle, with her snow-white dress trailing behind her. Her face broke into a dazzling smile. She noticed her mother was crying, and so was Sango. Sota and Grandpa were waiting impatiently for the cake, and Miroku was performing the ceremony. And there was Inu-Yasha. The people she loved surrounded her on the happiest day of her life. It was like a dream!  
  
"Dearly beloved...(I'm not sure how Buddhists marry people, so I'm going to pretend that they're not.)" Miroku started the lengthy ceremony. After a few 'I dos' and a long kiss, they were actually married! Inu-Yasha looked deep into Kagome's eyes and kissed her. "I love you."  
  
"I love you too!" she threw her arms around his neck and held him tightly. Kagome turned to face her family and friends and cried, "I'm married!"  
  
Sango smiled at her best friend, crying harder than ever. Suddenly, her beaming smile contorted into a look of pain and agony. She screamed, "The baby's coming!!!"  
  
"Kaede! Sango's in labor!" Kagome called for the village priestess.  
  
~~  
  
"Sango, just breathe. You'll be fine, just push!" Kagome fought to keep Sango calm.  
  
"Ah!! Kagome I'm sorry. This should've been your- AH!!! - Day- AH!!!" Sango screamed as she had another contraction.  
  
"Sango! Don't even think of apologizing! This is the happiest day in both of our lives!"  
  
"AHH!!!!!!"  
  
"Push!!!"  
  
"I've been pushing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
"Keep pushing!!! I see a head!!!" Kaede yelled over Sango's cries of pain.  
  
~~  
  
Miroku heard his wife's screams and it was all he could do to stop himself from darting in there. He started pacing, trying to get his mind off of the fact that he couldn't help Sango, by thinking of baby names.  
  
"Would you stop pacing?!" Inu-Yasha yelled, but Miroku ignored him. "I never thought you'd be so nervous- you took this subject so lightly a few years ago!"  
  
"I never thought someone would say yes!"  
  
"Well, you were _way_ off!"  
  
"Thanks for helping, but I'd appreciate it if you'd stop!!!" Miroku began pacing again.  
  
Kagome stepped out of the hut. "Miroku-sama? You can see Sango now."  
  
Miroku was so nervous that he didn't even hear her.  
  
"Miroku-sama? Don't you want to see your baby??!!"  
  
Miroku quickly broke out of his trance-like state and dashed into the hut.  
  
"Sango! Are you ok?"  
  
"I'm fine." Sango smiled. "Look at our baby!"  
  
"He's so beautiful. Just like his mother."  
  
"His eyes are violet*- just like you!"  
  
"He has your nose."  
  
"And your smile!" The little baby boy in Sango's arms smiled and drooled a little.  
  
"He's so cute!"  
  
"Let's hope he's nothing like you in personality! I'll die if I have to raise another pervert!"  
  
"Another?"  
  
"Yeah! It was bad enough training you to stop chasing every skirt you see!"  
  
Miroku chuckled. "Well, you did a _relatively_ good job."  
  
"I wonder what to name him!"  
  
"I've been wondering too... maybe.... Ryouga?"  
  
"I like that."  
  
"Well, the son of a demon exterminator can't have a wimpy name."  
  
Sango laughed. "Certainly not! So it's settled? Ryouga Kohaku Houshi**?"  
  
"Ok."  
  
~~  
  
"You know, Sango being in labor has made me think-"  
  
"That's never good."  
  
"Seriously! What are we going to name our daughter???"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"Every since I was 5, I've been thinking of what I would name my daughter, but now, the list is too long and I can't decide!!!"  
  
"Since you were 5?" Inu-Yasha asked unbelievingly.  
  
"Probably longer!"  
  
"Ok, what are some of them?"  
  
"Hinata, Sana, Umi, Ayame, Asayake, Hikaru, Sora-"  
  
"Ok, I get the picture."  
  
"We should decide this now, before I go into labor."  
  
"Alright... I like Hinata, Asayake, and Sora... Or maybe Misora."  
  
"How about... Asayake Misora Higurashi?"  
  
"Ok."  
  
~~  
  
A/N: I could end the chapter here, but I'd like to go into the birth of Asayake-chan in this chapter, so I'll keep going. But before that, I want to clear things up. Asayake = morning glow/ sunrise colors, Misora = beautiful sky, Ryouga = superior/ excelling/ etc. and Kohaku = amber, and obviously is Sango's little brother. I didn't mention this before, but he died in the battle with Naraku five years before. Um, all the names that Kagome listed were names that I was thinking of choosing, but I don't want to list them all. *Babies' eyes are always blue (I think) when they're born (something about the pigment) but I just wanted to add that his eyes were violet. **I don't know what Miroku's last name is supposed to be, so I wrote that.  
  
~~(Three weeks later)  
  
"Inu-Yasha!!! Help me out, will you???" Kagome yelled to Inu-Yasha, who was pigging out on the ramen Kagome brought from the last time she traveled to her world.  
  
"Hold on," he said as he finished his ramen bowl. He quickly came to Kagome's aid in taking care of Ryo-chan while Sango and Miroku were fixing a leak in their hut.  
  
"He doesn't like me!" Kagome cried in frustration.  
  
"Of course he does! Everyone does. He just hasn't gotten used to you yet. He hasn't even gotten used to Miroku!"  
  
"I guess... OWW!!!"  
  
"What's wrong??? Are you alright?"  
  
"NO!!! My stomach is going to burst!!!" Kagome yelled. Suddenly, her eyes widened. "My water broke!!!"  
  
~~  
  
"Come on, Ryo-chan, just show me what's wrong!" Miroku said soothingly as he tried to calm down his crying son. "If only Sango were here..." Ryouga instantly stopped crying as soon as he heard his mother's name. Inu-Yasha laughed, but cringed when he heard Kagome's cries in the hut.  
  
"Horrible, isn't it? To hear your wife in so much pain."  
  
"I hate this!!! I just want to go to her!"  
  
"It'll be over soon."  
  
"Sango's labor took 5 hours! I can't wait that long!!!"  
  
~~  
  
"Ye should calm Inu-Yasha. He is breaking my concentration."  
  
"Ok." Sango left the hut.  
  
"Inu-Yasha? You have to relax! Kaede can't concentrate with you kicking and screaming about not being able to be in there."  
  
Inu-Yasha pouted. "Is she ok?"  
  
"No woman is 'ok' during labor, but nothing is going wrong. It's taking less time than usual, actually. The baby should be born in an hour. The contractions are getting less far apart."  
  
"Oh, good."  
  
"I have to go back in there and help out." Sango went back in.  
  
~~  
  
"She's so small."  
  
"She's beautiful. She even has your cute little ears!" Kagome looked down at her newborn daughter. She had black wavy hair with white streaks, almost like highlights. She had amber eyes and soft, fuzzy ears. She giggled shyly when Inu-Yasha looked at her.  
  
"She's so amazing. My little Asa-chan!"  
  
A/N: This is the actual end of the chapter; chapter, not story. Um, sorry for not updating, but like I said in my bio, there was something wrong with my computer. I'd like at least 5 new reviews before I update again!  
  
Chapter 6 preview: Set 3 years later, Kouga comes back to see 'his' daughter and finds she has dog-ears! 


	6. Unwanted

Chapter 6  
  
"Asayake-chan, are you hungry?" Kagome asked.  
  
Asayake squealed and drooled.  
  
"Well, she certainly has your table manners, Inu-Yasha." She told her husband.  
  
"That's not my fault, is it?"  
  
"Of course it is. Everything is." Kagome stated matter-of-factly. She got the bottle of milk from one of the shelves in their small hut that Inu- Yasha made with the help of Miroku and a few other village men. She held her month-old baby in her arms and fed her.  
  
~~  
  
"Ryo-kun, what's wrong?" Sango asked her son gently.  
  
"Waahh!!!!!!" Ryouga wailed.  
  
"Honey, do you want to be fed?"  
  
"Waahh!! -sniff sniff- Waahh!!"  
  
"I guess that's a no... do you need to be burped?"  
  
"Waahh!!"  
  
"No? Ok, think Sango. Do you need to be changed?"  
  
Ryouga sniffed and nodded his head.  
  
"Oh!!" Sango promptly changed him with one of the many diapers Kagome gave her from her own time. Every week, Kagome would visit her family and restock on things that they needed in the Feudal Age. Afterwards, Sango rocked her baby in her arms. She started crying as well, out of frustration. 'I'm such a horrid mother. After two months, I still can't remember the difference between his 'hungry' cry and his 'diaper' cry.'  
  
"Sango, what's wrong?" Kagome asked as she entered the small house.  
  
"I'm a horrible mother!!!"  
  
"What are you talking about? You're a wonderful mom!"  
  
"I can't tell Ryo's 'I'm hungry' cry from his 'change my diaper' cry or his 'I have to be burped' cry!"  
  
"Sango, it's ok! I can't tell either. We're first-time mothers. It's normal."  
  
"I'm such a failure! Even Kaede and Miroku can tell, but not me! Not his own mother!"  
  
"Don't worry! We'll get the hang of it."  
  
"What if I don't? What if I'm incapable of being a good mother?"  
  
"Sango, that's ridiculous. You're a perfectly fine mother. You're just not used to it. No one expects you to know everything Ryo wants or needs."  
  
"I guess... Thanks, Kagome."  
  
"Anytime."  
  
~~(Three years later)  
  
"Asayake?"  
  
"Hai, okaasan?" Asa-chan asked cutely.  
  
"I have to go out, so I'm going to drop you off at Ryo-kun's, ok?"  
  
Asa-chan pouted slightly.  
  
"But- but! He's mean! He's always poking me!"  
  
"But you always hit him!"  
  
"Mommy! I don't want to go!"  
  
"Asayake Misora Higurashi! You're going and that's final!" Asa-chan's eyes welled up and she started bawling. "Asayake, don't think that's going to work on me!" Asa-chan huffed and Kagome led her by that hand to Sango's hut (which was only a few yards away.)  
  
~~(Meanwhile)  
  
"_She_ walked out on _me_? She thinks she can walk out on me? Kouga? She must think I'm _sooooo_ hurt. I was just playing with her the entire time."  
  
Kouga was extremely bored with life. Now that there was no one to do 'it' with him, how was he going to spend his time? There was something lingering in the back of his mind, telling him to do what was right. And that was to raise his child. 'I should raise the kid! That dog wouldn't know anything about raising a child!' Kouga raced to the village where he last encountered Kagome, ignoring the fact that he was completely unwanted. It took him a while to get there (like a few days) since he almost forgot the way, and his mistress' house, where he was still staying after she left him, was quite far.  
  
~~  
  
"I smell something rotten... like a wolf..."  
  
"You're kidding!"  
  
"I can always tell."  
  
"Alright, let me drop Asayake off at Sango's." Kagome held Asa-chan's hand and led her halfway to Sango's house when she heard it- his slimy, arrogant voice.  
  
"Why are you here?" Kagome asked rudely and glared at him.  
  
"I'm here to raise my child! And WHY does MY child have DOG-EARS???"  
  
Kagome rolled her eyes, remembering how thickheaded Kouga could be. She bent down, so she could talk to Asa-chan eye to eye. "Asa-chan, go over to Ryo's house and play over there while Mommy talks to the baka ookami, ok?" She whispered, but purposely made it loud enough for Kouga to hear.  
  
"BAKA OOKAMI??!!"  
  
"Oh, you heard me?" Kagome asked sarcastically. She turned and faced Asa- chan again. "Go."  
  
"Hai, okaasan!" Asa-chan walked awkwardly to Ryo's house and knocked on the door. Sango let her in, and looked outside for Kagome, who usually took her. She gasped as she saw the sneering wolf.  
  
"Sango, what is it?" Miroku asked. He poked his head out the door and stared, shocked. "I can't believe he would show his face after 3 years!"  
  
The young girl was confused, and tugged on the end of Sango's kimono, asking what was going on. Ryo-kun told her that it was just boring adult business.  
  
"How would you know?"  
  
"I'm smarter than you!" he replied, poking her shoulder. She punched his arm and stuck her tongue at him. Ryouga smiled evilly and poked her again, harder this time. She glared at him and kicked him hard. His evil grin turned into a very fake frown. "Mommy, Asa-chan hit me!"  
  
"He poked me!!!"  
  
Miroku rolled his eyes and said, "Where have I heard this before?"  
  
"Come on, you two. Every time you guys are in the same room, you pick on each other! I want you to apologize."  
  
Asa-chan turned around, refusing to look at him, let alone apologize.  
  
"Asa-chan, apologize." Sango pressed.  
  
Asa-chan sighed and whispered, "I'm sorry." She sounded sincere, but her amber eyes showed that she was as angry as ever.  
  
"I'm sorry, too." As soon as Sango and Miroku were satisfied, however, Ryouga started poking Asa-chan again.  
  
"Baka."  
  
~~  
  
"Kouga, what do you want? You aren't welcome here."  
  
"I'm not welcome to raise my own child?"  
  
"Why, after 3 years, do you decide it's time to raise her? Did you get bored of that tramp and figure I'd welcome you with open arms? Or did she leave you for someone else giving you too much free time? You didn't want to take care of her when I was pregnant, so why now?"  
  
"I'm trying to make up for it!!!"  
  
"Too late!!! I love Inu-Yasha! And it's not even your child. It's Inu- Yasha's. I thought you had figured that when you noticed her ears."  
  
"You didn't."  
  
"I did. I made the wish the second you left, and you have no reason to be here!"  
  
"I conceived her!"  
  
"But it's not your blood running through her veins; it's mine and Inu- Yasha's alone! And it's not you who was with her everyday, loving her and taking care of her; it was Inu-Yasha and I!!! So don't think for a second that you can come back into her life and be her father, because she already has one!"  
  
"Exactly." Inu-Yasha came out of the hut, thinking that Kouga had gotten enough of the verbal abuse, and now it was time to make sure he was 'taken care of' physically.  
  
"Dog-face."  
  
"I've had enough of this. You leave your pregnant wife for some tramp half your age and expect her to take you back? You jerk. You'll get what you deserve." He said as he unsheathed the transformed Tetsusaiga.  
  
"If it's a fight you want..."  
  
Inu-Yasha lunged at him, cutting the sword deeply into his arm. Kouga barely dodged as he swung again. Kagome watched emotionless, and for the first time, didn't really care if Kouga died or not. "Kill him." She whispered. Fresh tears trickled down her cheeks, knowing that no one deserved to have their life taken from them as much as her ex-husband.  
  
"No problem." Inu-Yasha attacked again. He wasn't aiming to kill- yet. He wanted that dirty wolf to suffer as much as possible before dying. Finally, after Inu-Yasha had inflicted as much damage without actually killing him, he decided it was time for him to die. Kouga was in too much pain to even want to continue living. Just as Inu-Yasha was going to use the Kaze no Kizu, Kagome stopped him.  
  
"Don't kill him. I can't let you. Killing him would put him out of his misery. Keep him alive, and out of our lives."  
  
"Stay away from here, understand? Or I'll wait for you to heal, and then do this all over again."  
  
"Fine, dog-face." He said, and slowly and painfully walked away.  
  
Inu-Yasha walked over to Kagome and wiped her tears away.  
  
"Even though I never loved him, it still hurts."  
  
"He'll never hurt you again- I promise."  
  
"I love you." Kagome told him, embracing the man that would do anything for her.  
  
A/N: I hope you liked this chapter. You know what sux?? I can't read any of my chapter 5 reviews!!! NOO!!! I hate this!!! Well, please review... um, and if there's anyone who wants to know the meaning of any of the Japanese in this chapter, go to . It's a Japanese- English dictionary. Oh, and the next chapter will probably be set a really long time from now. (When Asayake and Ryouga are like... 13.) I haven't started the next chapter, though.... Well, ja! *Sarah* 


	7. Human

Chapter 7  
  
"Mommy?"  
  
"Yeah, Asa-chan?"  
  
"Who was that ookami?"  
  
"He was just some baka..." Kagome lied. Asa-chan, even though she was only 3 years old, knew her mother was keeping something from her.  
  
"Mommy, really, who was he?"  
  
Kagome grimaced. "I'll tell you when you're older. Remind me in a few years."  
  
"That's not fair! I won't remember!"  
  
"Maybe you will." Asa-chan frowned and walked away. She saw Ryo-kun with Sango walking to the market. 'Maybe Sango-sama will tell me!' She ran to catch up to her best friend and his mother.  
  
"Sango-sama?"  
  
"Yes, Asa-chan?"  
  
"Do you know who that ookami from yesterday was? Mommy won't tell me."  
  
"Sorry, but I'm not sure I can tell you. I don't know much about him anyway."  
  
"Ok..."  
  
"Want to come with us to the market? I'll buy you some new clothes; yours are so tattered! You're only three years old; how do you get in such messes?"  
  
Asa-chan shrugged and followed them to the market.  
  
She came home in a brand-new blue kimono.  
  
"Oh! Asa-chan, you look so cute!" Kagome cried as her daughter came home. Asa-chan smiled. She sniffed the air and looked at her mother suspiciously.  
  
"You saved me ramen, right?"  
  
"Of course!" Kagome sighed. 'Like father, like daughter.'  
  
~~  
  
"Inu-Yasha?" Kagome whispered. She had finally gotten Asa-chan to bed.  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"Well, this morning, Asa-chan asked about Kouga and I didn't really give her an answer, but she has to know sometime, right?"  
  
"I know... but not yet. She wouldn't understand at her age. Maybe when she's 9, 10?"  
  
"Yeah, that'd be better."  
  
"Anyway, I've been thinking about school."  
  
"You aren't going back or something, are you?"  
  
"No! For Asayake. She's going to be starting soon, and she can't just waltz in with dog-ears!"  
  
"Why does she have to go to school anyway?"  
  
"Because she'll have to be educated! School is necessary!"  
  
"I thought we'd agreed that she would live in this world always! But school is just to get a good job, right?"  
  
"It's more than that... and she'll need to be educated whether she lives here or not!"  
  
"Geez, you don't have to raise your voice; you'll wake her up!"  
  
"Well, I happen to think it's important!" She said, dropping her voice back down to a whisper.  
  
"Ok, she'll go to school... but we'll have to find a way to hide her ears or something."  
  
"I know. I think I might know a few ways myself..."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"You'll see."  
  
"Whatever; let's go to sleep."  
  
"Yeah-" she yawned, "I'm pretty tired."  
  
~~  
  
"Kaede-sama?"  
  
"Yes, Kagome?"  
  
"I've been thinking. Asa-chan will have to be able to spend time in my world, but it's unnatural to have dog-ears in my time. Are there any miko spells that would be able to turn her into a full human temporarily/at will? Or maybe hide her ears and demon qualities?"  
  
"Like Inu-Yasha when the moon is full*?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"There is one spell that comes to mind."  
  
"Can you cast it on Asa-chan?"  
  
"Oh no, ye shall have to cast it. In my old age, I fear my powers are growing weak."  
  
"M-me?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"I guess I could do it."  
  
"And ye will need to complete your miko training."  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"Ye shall have to complete your training as a miko. An untrained miko would not be able to cast the spell."  
  
"And how long will it be until I'm fully trained?"  
  
"Until you can control your powers."  
  
Kagome mentally groaned. She would never be able to control her powers! She would never be as good as Kikyo...  
  
~~  
  
For the next few months, Kagome practiced using her powers to 'reach her full potential.' She was getting much better, and she was almost ready to cast the spell. Now, Kaede had to admit, Kagome was practically as good as Kikyo ever was, although she couldn't say she was better.  
  
~~  
  
"Kagome, I think you should be able to cast the spell, but ye will need to rest for a few days. A complicated spell like this will take much of your energy. You will feel faint for a while afterwards, as well. The best time to cast the spell will be in three days, during the full moon."  
  
"Ok. Three days."  
  
"Until then, rest."  
  
"Um, you never actually told me what the spell does."  
  
"It will turn Asa-chan into a human at will."  
  
"No side effects, right?"  
  
"None."  
  
"Good."  
  
~~  
  
Asa-chan remembered watching her mother collapse the night before. It was strange. At first, her mom let her outside after dark, which was _extremely_ rare, and then, she started mumbling, and her hands glowed. Asa- chan felt really weird, and then her mom just fainted, right on the spot.  
  
"Daddy? What's wrong with Mommy?"  
  
"She's very tired. She needs to sleep, ok?"  
  
Asa-chan nodded her head.  
  
"Asa-chan, can you turn human?"  
  
"Um... I don't know."  
  
"Just try."  
  
"Ok...." Asa-chan closed her eyes and concentrated on turning human. All of a sudden, her demon qualities disappeared; leaving her with raven black hair, fudge brown eyes, and ears at the side of her head.  
  
Inu-Yasha looked in awe of his daughter.  
  
"Daddy? What is it?"  
  
"Look in a mirror."  
  
Asa-chan found a small mirror in her room and gasped.  
  
"Who am I?!?"  
  
"You're the same person; you just look different."  
  
"Can I change back?"  
  
"I guess."  
  
Asa-chan closed her eyes and concentrated on turning back into her old self. When she opened her eyes and looked in the mirror, she was relieved to see the image of her quarter-demon body.  
  
"That's more like it."  
  
~~  
  
"Mommy, are you ok now?" Asa-chan asked Kagome, who had just woken up that afternoon.  
  
"Mm-hmm."  
  
"Good."  
  
"Can you turn human?"  
  
"Uh-huh, watch!" Asa-chan closed her eyes and turned human.  
  
"Good. Did you show anyone?"  
  
"Uh-huh; Daddy!"  
  
"You should show Ryo-kun; see if he recognizes you."  
  
"Ok!" Asa-chan left the house and found him eating his dinner. "Hey, Ryo- kun!"  
  
He turned around and stared at her strangely.  
  
"Don't you recognize me?"  
  
"No."  
  
"I've known you my whole life, and you can't tell who I am?"  
  
"Nope!"  
  
"Does this help?" Asa-chan changed back into... well, herself.  
  
"Asa-chan? How did you do that?"  
  
"My mommy did something to make me human!"  
  
"Cool!"  
  
"I know!"  
  
"Does it feel different?"  
  
"Yeah! I feel so much... weaker."  
  
"Hey, that's how I always feel!"  
  
"Really? Being human is weird."  
  
"Nuh-uh!"  
  
"Yuh-huh!"  
  
"Nuh-uh!"  
  
"Stop it, you two!" Sango scolded.  
  
"Sorry."  
  
"Asa-chan, your mom said that she wanted to tell you something."  
  
"Ok." Asa-chan went back home.  
  
"Asa-chan, the reason that I cast the spell, was so that you could go to school; in my world."  
  
"What's school?"  
  
"It's a place where you make a lot of friends and learn stuff."  
  
"Cool! When do I go?"  
  
"In about... 2 ½ years."  
  
"That long?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Why did you cast the spell now?"  
  
"So you would be used to being human."  
  
"Oh..."  
  
"Are you ok with going to school in my world?"  
  
"School sounds fun! I want to go earlier!"  
  
"Well, you could go to preschool."  
  
"Ok!" Asa-chan said, not knowing what preschool was.  
  
"But remember, if preschool gets boring, you were the one who agreed to it!"  
  
"Ok."  
  
"I'll go tell your father after he gets home from hunting."  
  
"I wonder what we're having tonight. I'm hoping for rabbit or deer..."  
  
"Is food all you can think of?"  
  
"I'm hungry!"  
  
"You are definitely your father's daughter!"  
  
"Duh, who else?"  
  
"It's an expression."  
  
~~  
  
"Hi, I'd like to sign my daughter up for this preschool."  
  
"Ok, sure! Just come with me and fill out these forms."  
  
After signing a few papers, Asa-chan was ready to start preschool the next week.  
  
~~  
  
"Class, this is Higurashi Asayake. She's a new student, so make her feel welcome!"  
  
"Hi, Asayake!" the class said in sync.  
  
Asa-chan had a really fun time on her first day of school, and after class, a girl with short, light brown hair walked up to her and introduced herself.  
  
"Hi, I'm Sana. You're name is Asayake, right?"  
  
"Yeah, but everyone calls me Asa-chan."  
  
"Ok, Asa-chan, wanna be my friend?"  
  
"Sure! Do you have a lot of friends?"  
  
"A couple... you?"  
  
"No... well, there is my mom's friend's son."  
  
"Oh. Do you want to come to my house?"  
  
"Um... sure! If my mom says yes."  
  
"Ok!"  
  
"I think she's waiting outside; let me ask her." Asa-chan walked up to Kagome, asking if she could go to Sana's house.  
  
"You've already made a new friend?"  
  
"Yep."  
  
"Good for you. I'll pick you up later; call when you want to come home, ok?"  
  
"Ok! Thanks Mom!" Asa-chan happily walked back to where she left Sana. "My mom said I could go!"  
  
"Cool!"  
  
When Asa-chan came back from Sana's house, Kagome took her back to the feudal age, and Asa-chan told Ryo-kun all about her day.  
  
"Sana seems nice."  
  
"She is!"  
  
"She could be your best friend there, and I could be your best friend here!"  
  
"You already are!"  
  
"Oh yeah..."  
  
"You're so weird!" Asa-chan said, rolling her eyes.  
  
"You are too!"  
  
"Nuh-uh!"  
  
"Yuh-huh!"  
  
"Nuh-uh!"  
  
"Yuh-uh!"  
  
"Yuh-uh!" Asa-chan said, trying to trap him.  
  
"Nuh-uh!"  
  
"Hah! I got you!!!"  
  
"Hey, no fair!!!"  
  
"When did you say to play fair?"  
  
Ryo scowled and poked her.  
  
"You're so mature!" Asa-chan said in disgust, obviously mistaking it for immature.  
  
"Isn't that a good thing?"  
  
"Nuh-uh!"  
  
"Yuh-huh!"  
  
"Nuh-uh!"  
  
"Yuh-huh!"  
  
"Yuh-huh!" Asa-chan said, trying to see if he would fall for it again.  
  
"I caught you!"  
  
"Shut up." Asa-chan glared at him.  
  
"I'm telling! Mo-"  
  
"No, wait!" Asa-chan put her hand on his mouth.  
  
"I won't tell... if you do something for me..."  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"Well? What do I have to do?"  
  
"Um... you have to..." Ryo thought hard about what to make her do. All of a sudden, he saw his mom and dad kissing. 'Eww!!!!' he thought, until he realized Asa-chan would think the same thing. "You have to kiss me."  
  
"What?! Eww!"  
  
"Mom!"  
  
"All right, fine." Asa-chan grumbled. She leaned in and pecked his cheek. "There."  
  
A/N: That was a pretty long chapter! Well...it sucked. Oh well... Review!!!  
  
*I'm not sure if Inu-Yasha turns human during the full moon or some other time because a lot of the fanfics I've read had different explanations.  
  
The next chapter will be set about 10 years later, on the first day of high school. Sana-chan and Ryo-kun meet and Sana tells Ryo-kun that Asa-chan has a crush on a classmate! The next chapter might be up today or tomorrow, but by Saturday at the latest. 


	8. Feelings

Chapter 8  
  
"Remember, Asayake, as soon as you finish your homework, you come straight home!"  
  
"I know Mom, high school isn't any different than eight grade!"  
  
"When I was in high school, they gave out mountains of homework on the first day! Don't expect things to be easy."  
  
"Mom, I'll be fine!"  
  
"All right. I'll see you tomorrow after school, ok?"  
  
"Ok. Bye!" Asayake called out from inside the well. 'Tomorrow I'm starting high school! Lots of cute boys and everything!' she thought. ~~  
  
"Hey, Sana-chan!"  
  
"Hey, Asa-chan!"  
  
"You know, do you think we're too old for the whole '-chan' thing? I mean, we're going into high school!"  
  
"Who cares? High school is no big deal!"  
  
"To you! The first day of high school has to be perfect! Perfect outfit, perfect hair, perfect attitude... perfect impression for all those cute high school boys!"  
  
"Perfect outfit? It's a school uniform!"  
  
"Well, it'll have to be perfectly cleaned!"  
  
"It doesn't matter to me."  
  
"But it does to me because tomorrow is my chance to start over with a new reputation and I don't want to mess that up!"  
  
"What was wrong with your old rep?"  
  
"It was fine, but this time I don't want to settle for 'nice, funny, cool to talk to but that's it.' I want to be the center of attention!"  
  
"To catch the eye of a certain boy, maybe?"  
  
"You know that I don't like anyone now!"  
  
"Yeah, whatever."  
  
"Sana!"  
  
"Kidding!"  
  
"You'd better be!"  
  
"But seriously, there are tons of cute guys in school. How is it possible that you don't like any of them???"  
  
"It's very simple. I just _don't_ like them!"  
  
"Are you sure you don't have your eye on someone else? Maybe even subconsciously?"  
  
"Subconsciously?"  
  
"Can't it be possible that you like some one but don't want to admit it to yourself? Like on TV shows!"  
  
"NO!"  
  
"Come on, think!"  
  
"Well... maybe... no! There's no one that comes to mind." She said, obviously lying.  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Um... no one."  
  
"I'm your best friend and have been since we were in preschool!"  
  
"It's just someone you don't know."  
  
"Who??!!"  
  
"That's for me to know and for you to not find out."  
  
"You know I'll figure it out!"  
  
"Trust me... you won't."  
  
"Watch me."  
  
~~  
  
Asayake planned everything out: how to do her hair, her makeup, how to act, talk, walk, etc. She made sure everything was perfect.  
  
She smoothed out her skirt, put on her backpack, and left for school: high school.  
  
~~  
  
Asa-chan found her homeroom class (which was math) and noticed a rather handsome boy two seats down. As soon as the bell rung for their second class, Asa-chan bolted out the door, purposely leaving her pencil. Since the boy was in the last row, he'd be last out the door and Asa-chan would be able to go back in, 'accidentally' bump into him, and introduce herself. It would've worked if she hadn't bumped into the wrong person.  
  
"Asa-chan, what are you doing? I thought you were supposed to go to your _second_ class; not homeroom again."  
  
"Sana? Where did he- how did you-?"  
  
"He? As in a boy? Have you gotten a little crush?"  
  
Asa-chan glared at her and retrieved her pencil. She proceeded to her second class and noticed that the mystery guy was there again: two seats down from her, in the back row. "This time, I won't mess up." She said to herself. She planned on subtly waiting in the hall at the end of class and when he comes out: wham! She was dying of anticipation, but managed to listen to the excruciatingly boring language arts teacher.  
  
The bell rang and her plan was working fine so far. She waited in the hallway for him to come out. She saw him in the doorway and swooped in.  
  
"Oh, my goodness! I'm so sorry. I'm really clumsy."  
  
"That's ok. For some reason, a lot of girls bump into me. I'm used to it."  
  
Asa-chan laughed. "Hi, I'm Asayake."  
  
"I'm Kyouko."  
  
"Nice to meet you... um, we have to get to class, so, bye!"  
  
"Bye!" he called out, slightly mesmerized.  
  
'Kyouko! What a nice name! My scheme worked! Oh, he's so cute!'  
  
"Asa? Asa-chan? Snap out of it!" Sana cried.  
  
"What? Huh?"  
  
"You almost missed the classroom."  
  
"Oh... oops."  
  
"Who is he?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"You only act like this when it involves a boy."  
  
"His name is Kyouko."  
  
"Is he cute?"  
  
"Duh!"  
  
~~  
  
"I can't believe the amount of homework they give out on the first day of school!" Asa-chan muttered under her breath. She started with her math homework (which there was the most of) and worked her butt off for an hour and a half when she was halfway through the assignments.  
  
She took a 15-minute break and got back to work. Finally, after a long 3-½ hours, she was finished with all of her homework. She put all of her work in her backpack and set it down in front of her bedroom door. She plopped onto her bed and yawned. "A tiny nap won't hurt!" She set the alarm clock. She fell asleep the moment she hit the pillow.  
  
~~  
  
"Goodness, where is that girl??"  
  
"Calm down! Didn't you say they gave out 'mountains of homework'?"  
  
"But it shouldn't take her over 4 hours to finish it!" Kagome exclaimed. "She's taking a nap, I bet. She always does. I'm going to wake her up and bring her back."  
  
Kagome jumped into the well. She entered the house and called out for her.  
  
"Kagome?" Her mother asked. She still looked young to be a grandmother.  
  
"Mom, where's Asa-chan?"  
  
"Her room; she hasn't come out since she came home, except to get a drink." Kagome's mother replied. Kagome rolled her eyes and continued up the stairs.  
  
"Asayake Misora Higurashi, how many times do I have to tell you not to fall asleep?!"  
  
"Hmm? Mom?" Asa-chan woke up, rubbing her eyes.  
  
"I always tell you not to take naps!"  
  
"Sorry, I didn't think I would sleep through the alarm clock."  
  
Kagome sighed. "Let's go home."  
  
On their way down the stairs, Asa-chan asked if it was ok to start dating, now that she was 14 and a half.  
  
"Date?"  
  
"I don't know... I'll ask your father tonight."  
  
"Ok. Be sure he knows that dating is _way_ less serious than courting."  
  
"Alright."  
  
"Thanks Mom!"  
  
"No prob."  
  
~~  
  
"Are you sure she should be dating?"  
  
"Well, I don't see the problem."  
  
"She's fourteen!"  
  
"And a half! I started dating when I was fifteen, and she's almost there! Just let her!"  
  
"Hmmph. Fine."  
  
~~  
  
"Hey Sango!"  
  
"Hey."  
  
"Do you think I made the right choice, letting Asa-chan date?"  
  
"Well, dating is less serious than courting, but it's almost the same thing, and she's practically ready to court!"  
  
"You're right."  
  
Ryo-kun stopped in his tracks. His mom was talking about Asa-chan dating?!?"  
  
~~  
  
"Hey!"  
  
"What's up, Ryo-kun?"  
  
"How was high school?"  
  
"It was pretty much the same as junior high."  
  
"Oh... I've been wondering... you always talk about Sana, but after 10 years, I still haven't met her."  
  
"Do you want to?"  
  
"I guess."  
  
"Well... I think I can introduce you two after school tomorrow."  
  
"Alright." Ryo was eager to find out who Asa-chan was dating.  
  
~~  
  
"Hey, Sana!" Asa-chan called her five minutes after finishing her homework, which there didn't seem to be as much of.  
  
"Hey. Done with your homework?"  
  
"Barely! You?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Well, you know how I talk about my friend Ryo-kun a lot?"  
  
"Yeah... when am I gonna meet him?"  
  
"See, he wants to meet you too, so I was thinking you could come over, like, right now?"  
  
"Sure; I'll be there in a sec."  
  
"Ok, bye~!"  
  
"Bye!" As soon as they hung up, Asa-chan brought Ryo-kun through the well.  
  
"Sana, that was quick."  
  
"We're only, like, two houses apart, Asa."  
  
"I know... but still."  
  
"Ahem..." Ryo cleared his throat.  
  
"Oh, right! Sana- this is Ryo-kun; Ryo-kun, this is Sana."  
  
"Hi..."  
  
"Hello."  
  
"So... I'm going to get you guys some drinks; is soda ok?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
While Asa-chan went into the kitchen, Sana and Ryo-kun sat on the couch. Sana decided to break the silence and asked, "How long have you known Asa- chan?"  
  
"Um... since she was born, actually. We, uh, used to be neighbors."  
  
"Oh..."  
  
"Yeah... So... Ok, I'll cut to the chase; I kind of wanted to know if you knew if Asa-chan was dating anyone. I don't really want to ask her, and I don't think she'd tell me on her own."  
  
"Dating? Um, no..." Ryo-kun sighed, relieved, "but she does have a crush on this guy in our homeroom... Kyouko, I think it was."  
  
"Kyouko, huh?" Ryo-kun said menacingly, cracking his knuckles.  
  
"The soda's here!" Asa-chan came out of the kitchen with three cans of soda.  
  
~~  
  
"So, Sana was nice."  
  
"She is... glad you like her... Maybe you should go out with her. Then we'd be able to double date!"  
  
"And who would you go with? No one in their right minds would date you!"  
  
"Shut up!" Asa-chan said, punching him teasingly."  
  
"But seriously, who?" Ryo-kun asked.  
  
"I don't know... but there's this nice guy in my homeroom-"  
  
"Kyouko?"  
  
"How'd you know?"  
  
"Well, Sana told me."  
  
"Did she just flat out tell you, or did you ask her?"  
  
"Well, it just kind of came up."  
  
"Uh-huh, sure." Asa-chan said disbelievingly. "I know you asked her! What happens in my personal life is my business! I know you're just looking out for me, but you don't always have to play the 'older brother'!"  
  
Hearing those words really hurt, and it wasn't even the fact that she just chewed him out for butting into her personal life, but she thought of him as the 'older brother,' nothing more.  
  
Over the next few weeks, Ryo-kun avoided eye contact with Asa-chan. He spent the least amount of time with her as possible, and always had an excuse handy when she needed to talk to him. Finally, one day, she cornered him.  
  
"What the heck is up with you?"  
  
"It's... nothing. I have to get home; Mom's expecting me to fix the holes in the roof."  
  
"I've had enough of this! Why are you always avoiding me?"  
  
"I told you, it's nothing."  
  
"So 'nothing' is why you haven't looked me in the eyes for two weeks? 'Nothing' is why you can't stand to be in the same room as me? 'Nothing' is why I've been without my best friend for the longest in our whole lives?"  
  
"Asa, it's just... guy stuff. I need to sort some things out."  
  
"I thought we were going to be best friends our whole lives, but now you can't even talk to me?"  
  
"But that's exactly it! We're only best friends!"  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"I- nothing."  
  
"Tell me! What's going on with you?"  
  
"I mean, for the rest of our lives, that's all I'm going to be to you! A best friend!"  
  
"What more do you want?"  
  
"I mean, I- I-" Ryo-kun couldn't find the words. "I'm- I think I have a crush on you."  
  
"What?!?"  
  
"I don't know!"  
  
"I can't- I can't deal with this right now! This, on top of school and everything else going on in my life! I can't do this!"  
  
"I didn't want to tell you in the first place!"  
  
"Is this why you've been avoiding me?"  
  
"Yeah! I mean, the thought of you with _Kyouko_ and knowing that I'll only be a 'friend' to you; I can hardly handle talking to you anymore!"  
  
"You could've talked to me."  
  
"How? This is hard enough as it is!"  
  
"Well, it's better than keeping it bottled up inside!"  
  
"I know. I just hate this! All of it! I wish I never started feeling like this!"  
  
"Ryouga..." she said, pulling him into a hug. "I don't what to do, but just promise me you won't avoid me anymore! I hate life without you."  
  
"I promise."  
  
"Good."  
  
A/N: Another extremely long chapter! Uh, I hope you liked it. R+R! I'm not sure when I'll post the next chapter, but it should be soon! *Sarah* 


	9. Courting

Chapter 9  
  
Asa-chan couldn't believe it... Her best friend since birth suddenly has a crush on her?  
  
"What do I do?" she asked herself. She closed her eyes and sighed. "I won't let anything get in the way of our friendship! But... if I break up with him one day, it'll never be the same... what to do??? And what about Kyouko? What if he asks me out? I can't just turn him down! He's too cute!"  
  
*Knock knock*  
  
"Who is it?" Asa-chan asked from inside her room.  
  
"It's me."  
  
Asa-chan heard Sana's familiar voice and let her in.  
  
"So... what were you doing?"  
  
"Oh, uh... nothing."  
  
"Asa, it's me."  
  
"Well, I was thinking... About Kyouko."  
  
"What about him?"  
  
"Well... I've been wondering... should I 'pursue' him?"  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"I don't know. It's just that I've never dated before, and my first date should be with the 'right guy' and all."  
  
"You should get to know him first. Then you can decide."  
  
"You're right. Thanks."  
  
"Where would you be without me?" Sana said sarcastically.  
  
"Shut up!"  
  
"Anyway, Ryo-kun was really nice yesterday!"  
  
Asa-chan winced at the sound of his name. Sana noticed.  
  
"Asa-chan? What's wrong?"  
  
"I-it's nothing."  
  
"What's with the secrecy today?"  
  
"Meaning?"  
  
"You won't tell me anything!"  
  
"I just- I'm just really confused..."  
  
"About what?"  
  
"Well, everything!"  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"Ryo-kun told me that he had a crush on me yesterday and I don't know what to do about it!"  
  
"Well, do you like him back?"  
  
"I don't... know."  
  
"Wait a second... is he the one that you 'might subconsciously like'?"  
  
"How'd you figure it out?"  
  
"It's not hard. Someone I don't know? The list isn't long."  
  
"I guess. But what do I do? What if I don't like him?"  
  
"And if you do?"  
  
"Well, what if something happens? It'll ruin our friendship!"  
  
"You've known him since, well, forever. Nothing could ruin your friendship."  
  
"Yeah. I guess courting him couldn't be too bad. I could see if I like him or not."  
  
"Courting? Where did that come from?"  
  
Asa-chan mentally cursed. 'In 11 years I haven't slipped up once! I never confuse the two worlds!'  
  
"Heh, my mind was wandering. You know how in History, we're learning about ancient Japan and they called dating courting and everything."  
  
"We're learning about France. Asa, what's going on?"  
  
'Shoot,' Asa-chan thought, 'I can't tell her! Not after a decade of avoiding the fact that I live 500 years in the past!'  
  
"I guess thinking about Ryo-kun got my brain a little scrambled." Sana looked at her skeptically but eventually bought it.  
  
"Thinking in general gets your brain scrambled." Sana joked.  
  
~~  
  
Asa-chan knocked on the door.  
  
"Asa-chan? Oh, Ryo's not here." Sango said, correctly assuming that Asa- chan was looking for her son.  
  
"Oh... where did he go?"  
  
"He didn't say, but he went in the direction of the forest. He left about a half an hour ago, so he shouldn't be far."  
  
"Oh. Thanks, Sango-sama."  
  
"No problem."  
  
Asa-chan ran into the forest, changing into her demon form. She sniffed around for any trace of him. Nothing. 'Idiot, where are you? I can't smell anything except... blood?!' She couldn't tell who's blood it was, but worried it was his. She looked around for him desperately.  
  
"Ryo?"  
  
"Asa?" Asa-chan heard a faint reply and sighed, relieved. She ran in the direction of his voice and found him sitting, covered in a gooey, purple liquid. She recognized it as demon blood and asked him how it got there.  
  
"I was walking in the forest when a demon came to attack me. I was able to fend it off, but it wasn't easy. I sprained my ankle and the demon got away."  
  
"When did it happen?"  
  
"I guess 20 minutes ago."  
  
"What were you doing here? You don't take walks this late."  
  
"I was... looking for something."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Just something."  
  
"Come on, what is it?"  
  
"Well, it's kind of covered in demon blood, but..." He showed her a white rose covered in the purple blood. "I was going to give it to you when you came home."  
  
"That's so sweet!"  
  
Ryo-kun blushed furiously. "I hoped you'd like it."  
  
"I do. It's great." She kissed him softly on the cheek. It felt... right. "Come on, let's go back to the village." She said, helping him up.  
  
"I've been meaning to ask you, did you think about... yesterday?"  
  
"Yeah, I did."  
  
"And?"  
  
"I don't know. But I really want to give this a shot... us, I mean."  
  
"So you'd be ok with us courting or something?"  
  
"Yeah. I would... so are we?"  
  
"I guess."  
  
"Good. I wonder what Dad'll say..."  
  
"I just hope he isn't too overprotective."  
  
"Don't worry. He'll approve... I hope."  
  
"Hehe..." Ryo-kun laughed nervously.  
  
"I'm kidding!" They walked back to the village.  
  
When Asa-chan got home, she was glad that her parents were eating dinner. She sat down in one of the chairs and wondered how to break the news. 'I should just get it over with.'  
  
"Um, Daddy? Mom? You know how you said it would be ok to date?"  
  
"Yeah..."  
  
"Did that apply to courting, too?" She asked nervously.  
  
"Courting?! You're 14!!!" Inu-Yasha growled. "Who is it?" He said menacingly.  
  
"Honey, let her explain." Kagome said. "Now who is it?" She asked simply.  
  
"It's... Ryo-kun."  
  
"Oh, I'm so happy for you!"  
  
"Yeah? Well, that's a relief." Inu-Yasha sighed. "But don't forget to mention that if _anything_ happens to you, I'll cut his throat." He said gruffly.  
  
"Alright Dad. Thanks for taking it so well."  
  
~~  
  
"Mom, Dad... do you think I'm... ready to court?" Ryo-kun asked while Sango was trying to bandage his ankle.  
  
"Why?" Sango asked suspiciously.  
  
"Because... I kind of have something to announce."  
  
"Announce it."  
  
"Well, I'm kind of courting Asa-chan."  
  
"You are??!! That's great!!!" Sango cried. "It's a good thing that you aren't at all like your father or she never would've said yes." She laughed.  
  
"Hey, _you_ courted me!"  
  
"That was different." She stated.  
  
"So... it's ok, right?" Ryo-kun asked.  
  
"Of course!"  
  
~~  
  
Asa-chan got up at 6:30 the next morning, and to her surprise, Ryo-kun was already up waiting for her by the well.  
  
"You're up early!"  
  
"I just wanted to say 'bye' to my girlfriend before she left for school!"  
  
Asa-chan blushed. She liked being his girlfriend. "That's sweet."  
  
"Well, how'd your parents take it last night?"  
  
"Not bad, actually. But my dad said that he'd cut your throat if you ever hurt me."  
  
Ryo-kun jumped a little.  
  
"I'm not worried; I know you'll never hurt me. Your parents?"  
  
"They were ecstatic."  
  
"I'll bet our moms are planning our wedding!"  
  
"Hopefully they'll remember that we're still fourteen."  
  
"Hopefully!" Asa-chan glanced at her watch. "Oh, I have to go! I'll be late to school!"  
  
He hugged her tightly and kissed her forehead.  
  
"I almost don't want to leave," she said. "But I have to... bye." She jumped into the well.  
  
~~  
  
"Asa? You look out of it."  
  
"Huh?" she asked dreamily. It was like she wasn't even there.  
  
"Oh no! A pop quiz?"  
  
"WHAT?" Asa-chan snapped back into reality.  
  
"Works every time."  
  
"Sorry Sana, but I can't help daydreaming!"  
  
"About who?"  
  
"My boyfriend, no duh!"  
  
"So you're dating him now?"  
  
"Yeah. It just feels right."  
  
"Are you thinking of bringing him to the dance?"  
  
"Dance? What dance?"  
  
"The dance that everyone's been talking about for the past week! I'm serious, you are way out of it!"  
  
"Just forgot. Anyway, I'm not sure if I'm even going to go."  
  
"You're going to miss the first dance of the year?"  
  
"I don't know. I mean the dances last year were pretty lame."  
  
"Those were _jr. high_ dances! This is _high school_~!"  
  
"You were the one who said that it was no big deal!"  
  
"But it is now!"  
  
"What suddenly changed your mind?"  
  
"N-nothing."  
  
"Sana." Asa-chan said sternly.  
  
"Ok. Kyouko asked me to the dance after homeroom." Sana said, afraid of what Asa-chan would say next.  
  
"Really? What'd you say?" Asa-chan didn't sound at all jealous.  
  
"I said yeah."  
  
"So what makes it so important that I go?"  
  
"I don't know; I just want my best friend to be there on my first date."  
  
"I guess I'd be the same way if the situation was flipped. And besides, if I bring him, it'll be my first date, too. Alright, I'll think about it."  
  
"Yes!"  
  
"I'll talk to him about it."  
  
"Thanks!"  
  
~~  
  
"Ryo-kun?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"I was wondering if you wanted to go to one of my school dances?"  
  
"Sure, but I thought that you said they were lame."  
  
"Those were jr. high dances! Anyway, it could sort of be like a... date."  
  
"Alright."  
  
"Great! Oh, and I think it'll be a double date; Sana's going with Kyouko."  
  
"And you're ok with that?"  
  
"Why wouldn't I be?"  
  
"Wouldn't it be awkward?"  
  
"If you thought I'd be jealous, I don't see any reason why I should be! I have the sweetest boyfriend in the world, no matter what century."  
  
A/N: Another long chapter! This one seemed a bit more corny..... oh, well. ^_^ The website that I was going to post in chapter 6 got erased, so here it is one more time, but instead of having the dots (.), I'm going to just write (dot), ok? (And there's no www) poets(dot)notredame(dot)ac(dot) jp/cgi-bin/jedi-inon Um, I haven't started the next chapter yet, but I'm going to get started on it when I can. 


	10. Dreaming

Chapter 10  
  
"Asa?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"You asked him, right?"  
  
"Yeah, why?"  
  
"WHY??? I want to know the answer, duh!!!"  
  
"Well, you'll be happy to know that he's ok with it."  
  
"Yes! Our first dates!!!"  
  
"I'm kind of freaked out... I have no doubt that Ryo is the right guy, but I have this weird feeling... like something bad is going to happen at the dance!"  
  
"It's probably just first date jitters."  
  
"I don't know; my instincts are telling me something's going to happen."  
  
"Remember when your 'instincts' told you that the boys were going to shoot us from behind at that water gun fight at Yuki's birthday party. So the entire time, we were so busy watching our backs, that they came out from the front and we lost."  
  
"Hey, those guys looked really suspicious!"  
  
"Yuki ended up crying because we lost so bad."  
  
"Ok, ok, but when something goes wrong, then you'll learn to trust my instincts!"  
  
"Nothing will go wrong!"  
  
"You just watch."  
  
~~  
  
"Ryo?"  
  
"Yeah, Asa-chan?"  
  
"For some reason, I have a bad feeling about the dance."  
  
"What kind?"  
  
"Like something is going to ruin it."  
  
"Maybe it's nothing."  
  
"Maybe... but I just can't shake the feeling that something's going to go wrong..."  
  
"Well, hopefully it's nothing... I mean, your instincts aren't always right. Remember that time when you thought my mom was pregnant? And you told the entire village and they threw a party for mom and got her presents and everything, but they found out you were wrong?"  
  
"She had the symptoms!"  
  
"She accidentally ate an expired can of beans from your time and you called it morning sickness."  
  
"So my instincts aren't on the money every time, but I have an extremely bad feeling about this!"  
  
"Just ignore it. Nothing'll happen!"  
  
"Alright..."  
  
~~  
  
"Hey Mom."  
  
"Hey."  
  
"I'm so excited about the dance! I mean, I was worried for some reason, at first, but I'm sure it'll be great!"  
  
"You know, you're growing up too fast... remember when you were 3-years old? When you thought that being human would be weird? And now look at you... in high school... with a boyfriend..."  
  
"Mom, it's not like I'm already going to college!"  
  
"I know, but it's not that far off."  
  
"I'm fourteen. You have nothing to worry about yet!"  
  
"I guess. It's just that it was so fun watching you grow up. Maybe we should have another kid..."  
  
"Are you serious???" Asa-chan said, both shocked and excited.  
  
"Yeah, why not? I'm only 40, I can keep up with another kid."  
  
"I've thought about what it'd be like with a little brother or sister... I think it'd be fun."  
  
"So you're ok with this?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Great."  
  
~~  
  
Kagome crawled into the queen-sized bed. (Don't ask how that got through the well.)  
  
"You know, Asayake said that she'd like a little brother or sister..." she mentioned to her husband.  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yeah. She said that she thought it'd be fun."  
  
"Hm..."  
  
"And do you remember when you said that you wanted a son?"  
  
"Yeah....."  
  
"If she's ok with it, and I'm ok with it, I just need to know if you're ok with it."  
  
"Another baby is a good idea. And it's a little boring around the house when Asa's at school."  
  
"So you want another baby?"  
  
"Yeah, I guess I do."  
  
"Great."  
  
"It might take a while to actually conceive... the sooner we try, the better, right?"  
  
"What, do you mean now?"  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Not a bad idea." She smiled and kissed him softly. The rest- well, lets try to keep this PG.  
  
~~  
  
Over the next few weeks, Kagome tried to get pregnant, but the tests kept coming up negative.  
  
"I don't understand why it's been taking so long... maybe the tests are wrong."  
  
"Kagome, maybe you should take a test at that doctor in your time."  
  
"You're right, Sango."  
  
"Where would you be without me?"  
  
"Oh, shut up!" (Sound familiar?)  
  
~~  
  
"Well Mrs. Higurashi, we'll call you with the results of your pregnancy test later this week."  
  
"Thank you." Kagome exited the clinic.  
  
"Well Mom? How'd it go?"  
  
"They said they'd call with the results this week."  
  
"Let's just hope that they call soon."  
  
~~  
  
"Oh no!"  
  
"What's wrong Kyouko?" Sana asked.  
  
"My dad's chaperoning the dance!"  
  
"Well, that's ok. As long as I don't embarrass myself in front of your dad."  
  
"I'm more afraid of him embarrassing me."  
  
"Don't worry. It'll be fine."  
  
"I doubt it... Well, we have to get to class. Bye!"  
  
"Bye!" Sana said, walking into the classroom and taking her seat behind Asa- chan.  
  
"Asa, I found out that Kyouko's dad is chaperoning the dance!" she whispered.  
  
"Speaking of the dance, every time someone talks about it, there's a bad omen!"  
  
"You're imagining things!"  
  
"I'm not! Did anyone even notice that it's on Friday the 13th?"  
  
"No, probably because it's on the 5th!"  
  
"On the lunar calendar!"  
  
"Who cares what's on the lunar calendar?"  
  
"And, when Kaoru-chan talked about the dance, she was stepping on a crack!"  
  
"So?"  
  
"You know, 'step on a crack, and break your mother's back'! Her mom was going to chaperone, but she called in sick!"  
  
"You are so paranoid!"  
  
"Not paranoid, just careful. And in the cafeteria, Yuki-chan talked about her dress for the dance when she spilled the saltshaker! You have to admit that all of these bad omens can't just be coincidental."  
  
"These 'bad omens' are completely nonexistent! It's all in your head."  
  
"I don't know why I try, you're a total nonbeliever."  
  
"It's not that I don't believe in bad omens, but, simply put, you're being crazy!"  
  
"Fine, believe what you want."  
  
Sana rolled her eyes. "You have serious issues, you know that?"  
  
"I'm being _careful_!"  
  
"Whatever."  
  
~~  
  
"Asayake, could you answer the phone, I'm busy in the kitchen." Her grandmother yelled as the phone rang for the third time."  
  
"Sure Grandma!" Asa-chan ran down the stairs and answered the phone. "Hello?"  
  
"Hey Asa-chan."  
  
"Oh, hi, Yame-chan*. What's up?"  
  
"I was just wondering if you had a date to the dance."  
  
"Yeah, I do."  
  
"Oh, really- OWW!!!"  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"Well, my dad's fixing the roof, but when I was walking under the ladder, I tripped over a rock."  
  
"Oh...under a ladder? Are you ok?"  
  
"Yeah. So who are you going with?"  
  
"My boyfriend."  
  
"You have a boyfriend!?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Who is it???"  
  
"Well, I doubt you know him because he doesn't go to our school, but he's my mom's best friend's son."  
  
"Is he cute?"  
  
"Very."  
  
"You're lucky. That nerd in class C asked me to go to the dance with him today."  
  
"EWW!! You didn't except, did you?"  
  
"I had to. No one else would ask me."  
  
"Then why didn't you ask someone?"  
  
"I would've, but Kaoru-chan told me that it was better to go with *him*- blech- than to look desperate."  
  
"Well, I happen to know that a certain guy in class B likes you, but is too shy to ask you."  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Keisuke!"  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yeah. Wouldn't you rather go with him than that dork?"  
  
"Definitely."  
  
"Then turn him down and ask Keisuke!"  
  
"This is great! I just hope the dance won't be a disaster."  
  
"So do I."  
  
"Well, I have to get off the phone. Bye!"  
  
"Bye."  
  
(I know that this chapter seems sort of pointless, but there is a reason for all of this girl talk. Oh, and Yame is short for Ayame.)  
  
"I'm such a good matchmaker!" Asa-chan said, hanging up. "So I fibbed a little, but how is Keisuke going to turn her down?"  
  
*Ring ring*  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Yes, is this Mrs. Higurashi?"  
  
"No, this is her daughter." Asa-chan said, assuming that the man on the other line was talking about Kagome, not her grandma.  
  
"Well, this is the doctor, and I'm sorry to say that the test turned out negative. Your mother isn't pregnant."  
  
"She isn't?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Oh... well, thank you. Good-bye."  
  
"Good-bye."  
  
~~  
  
"Hey, Mom... the doctor called today..." Asa-chan said solemnly. "He said you weren't pregnant."  
  
"Really? I guess that was to be expected. After all, the other tests had all come out negative."  
  
"But Mom, I'm sure you'll get a positive test soon; I can feel it."  
  
"Thanks, honey. Since the test came out negative, I guess we should just keep trying."  
  
"Yeah." Asa-chan yawned loudly. "I'm a little sleepy. I think I'll take a nap."  
  
"Mm, you should get some rest. I'll wake you up before dinner."  
  
"Thanks Mom."  
  
**  
  
Asa-chan woke up with a start. Where was she? She knew it wasn't her room... it looked like the school gym! But the weirdest part was that she saw herself (not in a mirror) talking to Sana! Now that she thought about it, everyone from school was there. It looked like the school dance.  
  
"What am I doing here?" she asked herself. "The dance isn't until tomorrow!" she tried to make her way through the enormous crowd to get to Sana and herself, but she never bumped into anyone; she went through them!  
  
"What's happening??? Why are there two of me?" She felt like a ghost. No one noticed her. She tried to talk to Sana, but she didn't even notice that Asa-chan was there!  
  
"What is going on??!!" Asa-chan screamed, but no one glanced her way.  
  
"Maybe the other me will know what's going on." Asa-chan said, paying attention to her conversation with Sana.  
  
"It's sort of weird that we're at the dance, but nothing's happening."  
  
"I told you nothing would happen! I just kind of wish that Kyouko's dad would stop asking me questions about me... it's embarrassing!"  
  
"What's taking the guys so long? They're just getting punch!"  
  
"Oh, no, he's coming this way!"  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Kyouko's dad!"  
  
"Ahh, Sana, I was wondering who your parents were; it'd be nice to have their number so I can meet them sometime."  
  
"I see what you mean." Asa-chan whispered to Sana while trying to slip away unnoticed.  
  
"You must be one of Sana's friends."  
  
"Oh, me?" Asa-chan asked, turning to face him.  
  
Kyouko's dad stopped in his tracks. "You aren't related to Kagome Higurashi, are you?"  
  
"Actually, she's my mom. I'm Asayake Higurashi. Did you know her?"  
  
"Yeah, I did. When you get home, could you tell her that Hojo said hi?"  
  
"Um, sure." She said. All of a sudden, she heard a loud clap of thunder. "Oh, great. A storm is coming!"  
  
The music stopped. "Excuse me, Haruno Kaoru, the hospital called to inform you that your mother is extremely sick and that you should go immediately."  
  
"Oh, no!" Kaoru ran out the door.  
  
"Wait a second... wasn't it Kaoru's mom who couldn't chaperone because she called in sick?" The 'ghost' Asa-chan said to herself. The music started up again and everyone started dancing again. Finally, Ryo-kun and Kyouko came back with the drinks.  
  
"What took you guys so long?"  
  
"There's this big scene next to the punch table. Ayame-chan got angry at her date and poured her punch all over him." Kyouko answered.  
  
"Really? What happened?"  
  
"Well, she was talking about him insulting her friends or something like that."  
  
"I'm not surprised. Yame-chan is usually so soft-spoken, but she's got a killer temper when it comes to defending her friends." Sana said.  
  
"And the worst part is that Yuki was standing next to him and she got punch all over her dress. She started fussing about how expensive it was."  
  
"Yame-chan got into a fight with Keisuke...? After I fixed her up with him just after she... walked under that ladder. And Yuki spilled punch on her dress... she knocked over that saltshaker when she talked about choosing it... All the bad omens were true~ the dance is a disaster!"  
  
Suddenly, everything went dark; the music stopped, the lights went out, and there was chaos in the entire building, until someone screamed, and the room went silent.  
  
**  
  
"Asa-chan, wake up!!!"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"It's time for dinner!"  
  
"It was a dream?"  
  
"Well, apparently."  
  
"Mom, did you know a guy named Hojo, or something?"  
  
"Actually, I did. How did you know?"  
  
"I dreamed about him and the dance and everything started going wrong! And there was a blackout and-"  
  
"It was just a dream. But, I don't think I ever mentioned Hojo... Maybe your miko powers are kicking in. You might have the power of foresight." Kagome joked.  
  
"Are you serious?!"  
  
"No, but it might be wise to talk to Kaede."  
  
"Yeah. I'll go over as soon as I finish eating."  
  
A/N: What do you think? Kind of pointless, right? Well, it'll come together in the next chapter. Sorry for the wait, but my computer's been acting up again. Review! *Sarah* 


	11. Reality

Chapter 11  
  
After dinner, Asa-chan walked over to Kaede's hut to ask her about her dream.  
  
"Kaede-sama?" she asked, knocking on the door.  
  
"Come in."  
  
"Kaede-sama, I had a really vivid dream. It was about the school dance that's coming up in my time, and I've had really bad feelings about it for a while, and in my dream, everything went wrong! The weirdest thing is that one of my friends' fathers were there and he said he knew Mom and when I told her about him, she said she did know him! Mom said something about me possibly having the power of foresight or something."  
  
"Aye, that is strange..."  
  
"What do you think? Could it have just been a weird dream?"  
  
"Many mikos have different powers, or specialties. Your mother's is the bow- and-arrow. It is very handy to have an offensive power, but the power of foresight can also be very valuable. Visions of the future can usually come to mikos in dreams. That could be the case here."  
  
"But if I did have the power of foresight, how would I know the difference between a regular dream or a vision?"  
  
"You'll know the difference, child. Visions are much more realistic."  
  
"So is there anything I can do to stop the dream from coming true? Assuming it was an actual vision, of course."  
  
"Possibly. Sometimes visions are meant to changed, but sometimes they just come as warnings for people to prepare for something to happen."  
  
"Thank you, Kaede-sama. I should probably just think about it."  
  
~~  
  
"So what did Kaede say?"  
  
"She said that the dream I had might be a vision and that I might be able to change it... but I might not..."  
  
"Just hope for the best..."  
  
"Yeah. I'm going to sleep, ok?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
**  
  
"Oh, not again~!" Asa-chan cried. She saw herself walking in the school hallway, next to Sana. "Don't tell me it's another dream!" To make sure, she tried walking through the students. "Yep. Definitely another dream."  
  
The bell rung and all the students entered their classrooms. She followed the dream version of herself into History class. She noticed two of the seats were empty; they were Kaoru's and Yame-chan. A lot of Yame-chan's friends were glaring daggers at Keisuke and Yuki looked seriously pissed, so Asa-chan assumed it was the Monday after the dance.  
  
"What happened to Yame-chan?" Asa-chan wondered. "Oh, no! Was she the one that screamed just after the blackout? It sounded like her... well, it sounded like just about all of the girls in our class, but if it was her, then Keisuke has something to do with it. This is all my fault! If only I hadn't fixed them up!" She sneaked over to Keisuke's desk and looked for any signs or clues. "Oh my goodness! What's he doing with a knife?!" She screamed. She looked at the small knife that he had hidden in his desk. "Wait, why would he bring a knife if he wasn't going to use it? And who would he use it on besides Yame-chan? But if he's the reason she's absent, then how could he expect to use it on her now?"  
  
After class, the students went to lunch. Keisuke kept the knife in his pocket and Asa-chan watched him _very_ carefully. "It'll be over soon," Asa- chan heard him say, "Sana!"  
  
**  
  
"You're going to be late for school!"  
  
"Dad! I was having a very important dream!!!"  
  
"Well, that's too bad! Go to school!" Inu-Yasha said.  
  
"Fine, Dad, it doesn't matter to me that my best friend might die on Monday!!!"  
  
"Kagome, talk some sense into your daughter!" he yelled to his wife.  
  
"I'm making breakfast! Take care of it yourself!"  
  
"Asayake, what are you talking about?"  
  
"Kaede-sama told me that I might have visions of the future in the form of dreams, and I dreamed that someone was trying to kill Sana-chan!"  
  
"It was just a dream. Don't bother yourself with it. Just go to school, it's 7:30."  
  
"Ok, ok."  
  
~~  
  
'Kaede-sama said that some visions can be changed. Ok, all I have to do is stop Yame-chan from asking Keisuke.'  
  
Asa-chan looked around for Yame-chan in the hallway. She spotted her about to walk into one of the classrooms. "Yame!" Asa-chan yelled. "Did you ask Keisuke to the dance?"  
  
"Not yet. I was hoping to catch him after History."  
  
"Well, it turns out that my, uh, source made a mistake and Keisuke isn't the one that likes you, it's, uh, Keitaro from, um, class E. Heh, sorry for the mix-up!"  
  
"Oh, really? It would've been pretty embarrassing if I had asked the wrong guy! Thanks for telling me."  
  
"No problem. I gotta get to class. See you!" she said, walking away.  
  
"Bye."  
  
'Dodged a major bullet. Now I have to talk to Kaoru and ask if there's anything I can do for her mom. That was what started the chain of disasters. But first, I need to ace that Trig test!'  
  
~~  
  
"Hey, Sana, what do you know about Uchiha Keisuke?"  
  
"The one in our Science class?"  
  
"And in our History class."  
  
"Him? Not much. Why?"  
  
"I heard a- a rumor that he, uh, had a grudge against you."  
  
"Really? Well, he _did_ ask me to the dance and I turned him down because I'm going with Kyouko, but I didn't think it was a big deal."  
  
"Oh. Well, it might've been wrong. I'm not even sure who said it, I was just eavesdropping."  
  
"Sounds like something you'd do!"  
  
~~  
  
'He got rejected? That's it? Why is he going to try to kill her just because she turned him down?? If he takes something like this so seriously, he's gotta be pretty desperate! I don't understand any of this. If only I could have another vision; another dream, maybe it could clear all of this up!!' Asa-chan thought while she should've been paying attention to the history worksheet. 'Maybe if I just fell asleep in a class, I could see the rest of my dream. Ok, language-arts is always boring, and I'll do anything to get out of one of Ms. Hitachi's tests. It's next period, so I won't have to wait too long.' Asa-chan checked her watch. It was 12:43; almost fifteen minutes until lunch. "Maybe I will... I could just take a little nap now..." Within minutes, she was sound asleep.  
  
**  
  
"Oh my gosh, Kagome! He's so beautiful!" Sango cried.  
  
"I know. My little boy!"  
  
"A son... This is great!" Inu-Yasha said.  
  
"The labor was a lot more difficult than with Asa, but he pulled through!"  
  
"I'm glad that you're ok."  
  
"I'm fine. Just a bit tired."  
  
Asa-chan saw her mother holding a small baby boy. He looked a little scrawny compared to Asa-chan's baby pictures, but still healthy.  
  
"I was so scared that he might not make it, but I'm just amazed that he's perfectly healthy!"  
  
**  
  
"Ms. Higurashi, I asked you, what was your answer for #2?" Mr. Toranoko said, waking her up from her dream.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"It's clear that you weren't paying attention, so I'll have to give you detention on Monday."  
  
"But Mr. Tora-"  
  
"No excuses. Detention on Monday. I'll give you the slip to get signed after class."  
  
~~  
  
"This is such a drag! Detention on Monday? Plus, my mom'll kill me when she finds out I was sleeping in class!"  
  
"Why were you sleeping, Asayake-chan?" Kaoru asked.  
  
"I was just tired. Anyways, I heard that your mom was going to chaperone, but got sick. Is she ok?"  
  
"I'm not sure. She came down with a pretty high fever last night. I'm kind of scared."  
  
"A fever? I know just what'll take care of that. My mom said that if you add lavender to oolong tea and let it steep for 5 minutes, the fever disappears. It's what she always did for me."  
  
"Really? Great. I'll tell my mom that before I go to the dance."  
  
"So what are you wearing to the dance, Ka-chan?" Sana asked.  
  
"It's a beige, strapless dress that reaches just past my knees. It's so cute!"  
  
The girls continued discussing their dresses for the dance, while Asa-chan mentally let out a sigh of relief. She'd just about taken care of everything. Except figuring out why Keisuke wanted to kill Sana. 'Maybe it's a really old grudge. Like something that happened between their parents or something. Or maybe I've been reading too many mystery novels. If I could just make out what's going on, this would be _way_ easier!' Asa- chan decided not to worry herself with that and congratulated herself for single-handedly saving the dance.  
  
~~  
  
"Ryouga Kohaku Houshi! What's taking you so long???" Asa-chan yelled from outside the door where Ryo-kun was supposed to be getting changed into the clothes Souta chose for him.  
  
"I look ridiculous!"  
  
"That's what people where these days! And besides, I finished changing half an hour ago, and _I'm_ a girl!"  
  
"Fine." Ryo-kun said, slowly opening the door. He came out in a tux with his hair tied back, just like Miroku's.  
  
"You look handsome."  
  
"Ridiculous."  
  
"Aunt Sakura, tell him!"  
  
"She's right. You look fine."  
  
"And what you lack in handsomeness, I make up for in beauty!" Asa-chan joked. She was wearing a sort of modernized version of a kimono that was white with blue flowers. Her hair was done in a high ponytail with a flower on one side. She wore a silver necklace and light blue high-heeled shoes. (Sorry, I know the description sucks, but I have it in my head; I just can't explain it.)  
  
"You _do_ look beautiful."  
  
"Don't I?" Asa-chan laughed. "Come on, let's go. We're going to be late!"  
  
~~  
  
"Hey Sana!" Asa-chan met her by the bathrooms.  
  
"Hey Asa-chan! Hi, Ryouga-kun."  
  
"Hi, Sana, it's nice to see you again."  
  
"Sana, where's Kyouko?"  
  
"He said he had to go to the bathroom."  
  
"Um, you haven't seen his dad,  
  
"Oh. Well, I'll see you on the dance floor; I'm going to go show off my boyfriend."  
  
"Alright. See ya." Asa-chan walked off, dragging Ryo-kun along by the arm.  
  
"Asa-chan!" Yame-chan called out.  
  
"Hey."  
  
"Is this your boyfriend?"  
  
"Yep!"  
  
"I'm Ryouga." He said, introducing himself.  
  
"I'm Ayame." She said, blushing.  
  
"Hey, he's taken!" Asa-chan joked.  
  
"Aw, too bad."  
  
"Wait, how did it go with Keitaro?"  
  
"Good... he's getting me some punch. The only problem is that he's so shy! His face turned redder than a tomato when he tried to tell me that I looked nice."  
  
"Aw, come on. That's kind of cute."  
  
"I guess, but it's sort of uncomfortable."  
  
"Well, at least he's cute."  
  
"Ok, but still!"  
  
"Good luck with that, but I'm getting a little thirsty. I'm going for some punch; see ya."  
  
Asa-chan walked over to the punch table when she saw Keisuke. 'If only I knew what he was thinking... wait, wasn't he next to the punch table when Yame-chan got angry at him...? I'd better try to keep him away from it, just in case things take a turn for the worse.'  
  
"Ryo, could you hold on for a sec?" she asked.  
  
"Sure." Asa-chan slowly tapped Keisuke on the shoulder. He turned around, with a knife in his hands. Her eyes grew wide before she fainted.  
  
A/N: This chapter's a little shorter than usual, but I thought this was a real good cliffhanger. Sorry for the wait, but it took longer than I thought to get everything going. I'm hoping to update soon, but it might take as long as it did for this chapter. Expect it within the next week or two, but I might be busy with school. 


	12. Planning

Chapter 12  
  
"The last thing I remember is Keisuke having a knife... what happened after that?? I hope no one's hurt!" Asa-chan blinked a few times. She was on the floor, in her room, in the feudal age! "How'd I get home? And why am I on the floor while-" Asa-chan stood up and noticed someone in her bed, "Someone's in my bed??" She tried to move the sheets to see who it was, but her hand went right through the bed! It was another dream!  
  
"That's right, after I saw the knife I blacked out. Ok, so what am I here to see? I hope it's something that'll help me figure all of this out!"  
  
"Poor Asayake! She hasn't come out of her room since it happened!" She heard her mother say. "I can't blame her; if Sango got hurt that bad………"  
  
"Sana-chan!! What happened to her?"  
  
"I just can't believe that one of her classmates did that to her."  
  
"And no one understands why he did it! It must've been one heck of a grudge to attack a person like that. It's just a good thing that she didn't die."  
  
"But she's in a coma. The doctors don't even know if she'll ever pull out of it."  
  
"I can't say that I really know her, but Sana has always been a bit like Sango, and Sango would never die in a coma."  
  
"I really hope your right, for Asa's sake."  
  
"Sana! What am I supposed to do? Why won't anyone say anything about how it happened?" She left the house solemnly, looking for other clues.  
  
"I can't believe that Asa-chan is blaming herself for what happened to Sana. It's not like she knew that one day, one of her classmates would attack her best friend."  
  
"Or maybe I did... I guess it is my fault..."  
  
"If she was going to blame anyone, she should blame me..."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"I sort of knew when I met her that she seemed a lot like mom. I started using that 'eenternet' in Asa-chan's world, and found out that she was descended from Asa and me. I also found out that I am apparently going to kill an 'Uchiha Adauchi' who was supposed to be a horrible thief. But he had a son that swore revenge on our family..."  
  
"So my best friend is really my great-great-great-great-great-great-great-granddaughter? And my future husband is going to kill the great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather of one of my classmates? This is too weird."  
  
"How can I tell her that I'm the reason that her best friend is in a coma?"  
  
**  
  
Asa-chan woke up with a start. 'So he's going to put her in a coma, huh? Not if I can help it. All I have to do is find out when he's going to try to do it... It has to be soon if he has the knife now. The dance has too many people- ohh, too much thinking.' She slowly opened her eyes. She was in the school nurse's office.  
  
"No! I have to get back to the dance!"  
  
"Oh, no, honey, you're really frail!"  
  
"It's nothing, Nurse Sayaka! I was just tired. I was so excited about the dance that I didn't get enough sleep, but I'm really fine now! I just _have_ to get to the dance!"  
  
"Well, you look alright... ok, but first thing Monday, you come back here for a checkup."  
  
"Sure thing, Nurse Sayaka!" She said walking quickly out of the office, toward the gym.  
  
"Asa!" Ryo-kun came out from the hallway.  
  
"Ryo?!"  
  
"What happened? Are you ok?"  
  
"I'm fine! Did anything happen while I was sleeping?"  
  
"No, but why did you just faint like that?"  
  
"I'm just afraid of knives- wait, why did he have that knife anyways?"  
  
"Knife? Asa, what are you talking about?"  
  
"Keisuke! He had a knife!"  
  
"There was no knife. Are you sure you're ok?"  
  
"It was there! He was holding it plain as daylight just before I fainted!"  
  
"He was holding the punch ladle. I think you were a little paranoid."  
  
"Yeah, probably..." She said. 'Maybe the gods just made me think that it was a knife so they could show me that vision. It must mean that he's going to attack her soon,' she thought. "Come on, let's go. I probably missed a lot of the good songs."  
  
"If you're up to it."  
  
"I am. Don't worry, now let's go!" They ran to the gym (or Asa-chan dragged him all the way) when they found everything the same. 'Good, nothing's changed. Well, not yet.'  
  
"Sana!"  
  
"Asa!!! Are you ok? They said you fainted!"  
  
"I'm fine. Did I miss anything?"  
  
"Not really, but Yame's been getting a little cranky about Keitaro..." They laughed.  
  
"How long was I out anyway?"  
  
"I think it was 20 minutes."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yeah, around there."  
  
'So I still have a good amount of time to figure out what to do.'  
  
"Well, I'm going to dance. See ya out there?"  
  
"Definitely. I'm not going to miss more of the dance by fainting again!" She laughed.  
  
"'k, bye."  
  
Asa-chan finally got that drink she'd been dying for and asked Ryo-kun to dance. They were playing her favorite song, but she was thinking of other things. 'If I can just get him alone and get him to drop this whole 'family revenge' thing, Sana won't be in any more danger...'  
  
"'Sa, are you ok?"  
  
"Ryo, I'm not really sure. I have to tell you something. And I might need your help."  
  
"With what?"  
  
"This'll sound crazy but... I've sort of found out that, as a miko, I'm developing the power of foresight... in the form of dreams. And some of the visions I"ve been having are a little creepy."  
  
"Is that punch spiked or something, because you are truly sounding weird."  
  
"I know. But these visions have mainly been coming true. I've been able to prevent some of them, but for this next one I might need some serious help."  
  
"What kind of help?"  
  
"My vision was of Keisuke attacking Sana and putting her in a coma for a few days. In my vision, I blamed myself for it, so that must mean I can do something to stop this."  
  
"Asa-chan, you have gone bonkers. But, for a moment, let's pretend you're serious about this and you really are right. Sana could be in real danger."  
  
"Exactly. I just need to figure out when Keisuke's going to try something and how I can stop it."  
  
"There's a crowd here, and any one of them could serve as a witness, and if this Keisuke is smart, he'd do it in private. Possibly after the dance, once everyone's going home."  
  
"But he'll have to take care of Kyouko."  
  
"And two on one isn't smart either."  
  
"No wonder Keisuke asked Sana to the dance. He was probably going to do it afterwards."  
  
"That must mean he's been planning it for a while now. This really is no joke. Chances are he's aiming to kill, and in your vision, something went wrong."  
  
"You're right, but what do I do? Since the chances of him acting now or later tonight are slim, I really can't do much but warn her, and if she asked how I knew, it would open up a can of worms."  
  
"Maybe you can make up something."  
  
"Saying what?"  
  
"Saying that... I don't know, you heard a rumor that he was dangerous. Tell her to watch her back."  
  
"She wouldn't take it seriously."  
  
"Have you learned any spells as a miko that would help out?"  
  
"Not really. What do I do?"  
  
"You could just tell her everything."  
  
"After 10 years of keeping secrets?"  
  
"Or you could just make sure she's never alone."  
  
"How?"  
  
"I don't know, figure something out. I don't even live in this time!"  
  
"I need to do something. I know! I'll do what you said. I'll just make sure she's not alone by inviting her for a sleepover!"  
  
"Whatever a sleepover is, I'm sure it's a good idea."  
  
"Yeah. Now that I have a plan, I can finally feel at ease. I think I can actually dance now, without worrying and killing myself thinking."  
  
"Well, would you like to dance?"  
  
"Sure." Asa-chan smiled and finally had a good time. 'The dance wasn't a disaster, and Sana'll stay safe if I'm careful and nothing goes wrong.' Asa-chan thought.  
  
A/N: End of the chapter! I know it was a stupid place to end and this was probably the most uneventful part of the whole fanfic, but if I kept going, it would be too long and the next update would be in years. Once the stupid computer's fixed, the chapters'll come out faster. Ja! *Sarah* 


	13. Discovery

Chapter 13  
  
"Hey, Sana!"  
  
"Hey, what's up?"  
  
"I was wondering if you wanted to sleep over at my house after the dance?"  
  
"Ok, but I'd have to check with my mom and get some stuff from my house."  
  
"Great!" Asa-chan let out a sigh of relief. As long as she watched Sana's back, she'd be fine.  
  
~~  
  
After the dance (and after Sana, Asayake, Ryouga, Sana, and Kyouko started walking in the rain to Asa-chan's house, where they would separate; Sana and Asa staying at her house, Ryo-kun slipping out to the well house and waiting for Asa to get him through the well, and Kyouko getting a taxi home.  
  
"You know, this really sucks. You'd think that the gods would be kinder than to leave us here walking a half a mile in the rain." Asa-chan cried.  
  
"Yeah, you'd think that, but I've learned over the years that the gods hate me." Sana answered.  
  
"Heh, must be."  
  
Finally, they got to the street corner maybe two blocks from Asa-chan's house and while Asa and Sana started making their journey down the street, Kyouko and Ryo-kun went their own way.  
  
Asa and Sana were only a few houses away, when Asa-chan got the strange feeling that they were being followed. Asa-chan tried to rush Sana, but she was taking her own sweet time.  
  
"I'm telling you, someone is behind us!"  
  
"Probably the neighbor's dog- stop freaking out!"  
  
"We're almost home, just hurry up. I don't want to be stuck out here while the 'raindrops are falling on your head.'"  
  
"Sometimes I enjoy the rain." Sana said, as she broke out in song. "The raindrops are falling on my head~ But that doesn't mean my eyes'll soon be turning red-"  
  
"Shut up! And stop walking slow on purpose! Come on! It's taking up ten minutes to get from one end of the street to the other!"  
  
"What's the big fat rush?"  
  
"I wanna get out of the rain!"  
  
"Fine, I'll walk faster." They almost got to Asa-chan's house, when they heard thunder.  
  
"Come on, this is really freaking me out!"  
  
"Me too!" They started running, when Keisuke came out of nowhere- with a real knife (not a ladle this time). Sana screamed.  
  
"Keisuke-kun, you scared me! Hey, what's up with the knife?" Sana asked nervously.  
  
"I don't think we want to stick around and find out!" Asa-chan exclaimed, grabbed Sana by her shirt, and ran. Unfortunately, Keisuke was faster than her when she was in her human form. He stabbed Sana in the side, or so he thought. Asa-chan got in front of Sana and took the blow. He tried again, but Asa-chan got in his way. Asa-chan turned demon, and attacked him. She punched him in the stomach and he got knocked out. Sana screamed and fainted. Asa-chan carried Sana and ran to her house.  
  
"Asayake, is that you?" her grandmother cried from the other room.  
  
"Yeah, Grandma, it's me. Can you help me out?"  
  
"What happened? Why are you bleeding?" Her grandma asked as she walked in.  
  
"It's fine, but I don't know about Sana." They laid her on the couch and patiently waited for her to wake up. Finally, after almost ten minutes, she awoke.  
  
"Where am I?" she opened her eyes and looked around. "Asa-chan?" She screamed.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"What- what are you?"  
  
"It's me!"  
  
"Your ears! And your hair!"  
  
"Oh... long story, I'll save that for later."  
  
"You'll tell me now."  
  
"Ok, but you won't believe me."  
  
"Try me."  
  
"It started a really long time ago when my mom was a teenager. She suddenly traveled through the old well to the feudal era of Japan, and she met my dad, who happens to be a half-demon, who was searching for this jewel thing, but my mom broke it and the pieces scattered across Japan, so they searched for it for a really long time, but there was this other guy who was also looking for it named Naraku, so my mom, my dad, and their two other friends who are Ryo-kun's parents, fought Naraku and won, and I was born in the feudal era, but my mom wanted me to go to school here, so she cast a spell on me to make me turn human when I wanted to, and that's when I met you." Asa-chan said in one big breath.  
  
"How hard did I hit my head?"  
  
"I'm serious!"  
  
"So am I! How am I supposed to believe that you're some kind of demon from 500 years ago?"  
  
"I'm actually a quarter-demon. The rest is just human. But there is a little bit more."  
  
"My family is kind of in a time loop sort of thing, so when I marry Ryo-kun in the past, he's going to kill this guy that is Keisuke's ancestor, so he wants to kill you because I'm your ancestor, kind of."  
  
"Did you hit your head?"  
  
"No! This is the truth!"  
  
"Oh, yeah? Prove it!"  
  
"Fine! I will."  
  
"Um, sorry to interrupt, but Asayake, I don't really think this is the best thing to do."  
  
"But Grandma, I have to."  
  
"Well, I guess it'll be alright, but this is very dangerous."  
  
"I know. Come on, Sana, I'll show you." They walked to the well house where Ryo-kun was waiting.  
  
"That took a while."  
  
"Oh, well, we're going home." Asa-chan grabbed the two by the wrist and jumped down the well. They climbed out of it once they had traveled back in time.  
  
"Where are we?" Sana asked, confused.  
  
"Feudal Japan." Asa-chan replied as she took them to the village. "And this is my house."  
  
"Whoa." Asa-chan opened the door.  
  
"Hey Mom, I'm home."  
  
"Great, did you have fun- oh, hi Sana. What are you doing here?" Kagome said through her teeth.  
  
"Mom, I can explain."  
  
"Oh, really? I'd like to hear this. And so would your father." Kagome replied. "Inu-Yasha!" she called.  
  
"What?" he asked as he walked in the room. "Hey, Sana, whatcha doing here?"  
  
Asa-chan sat down and explained everything.  
  
"Well, thank the gods that you both are safe! But still, Asa, you know that it's not safe! If something is wrong, don't try to take care of it yourself."  
  
"I know Mom, but I wasn't planning on any of this happening."  
  
"You have to be a lot more discreet now that someone has already seen you."  
  
"Don't worry. I'll take care of it."  
  
"You'd better hope so. Things are already bad enough."  
  
"Um, Mrs. Higurashi?" Sana asked. "What do I do?"  
  
"Well, how do you feel?"  
  
"A little strange. This seems so surreal. How could I not know for so long?"  
  
"I know, but if anyone found out, the whole time loop might've been affected." Asa-chan replied.  
  
"This is just so weird."  
  
"Well, now that you know, I don't have to hide anything from you."  
  
"Yeah." Sana smiled. "This is good."  
  
~~  
  
Asa-chan and Sana had a few things to talk about, but in the end, not much had changed. They were still best friends. Kyouko and Sana were a real couple, and so were Asayake and Ryouga. Kagome and Inu-Yasha welcomed the newest addition to the family- Asakaze Hikaru Higurashi.  
  
~~  
  
"Hey Mom, I'm back!"  
  
"Did you finish your homework?" Kagome asked while she was holding the baby.  
  
"Yeah. Let me see Saka for a sec."  
  
"Sure." Kagome handed her to Asa-chan.  
  
"Hi, Saka-chan!" Asa held up her 3-month old baby sister. She was so cute! She had straight, silver hair and black streaks with fuzzy, little ears. Asakaze looked up at her older sister with her dark brown eyes and smiled.  
  
A/N: Well, that's the end (of the story)! I know that it sucked, so don't flame! There might be an epilogue coming up, but I figured that I should just get this chapter out, before people start stoning me. Um, Asakaze means morning breeze, and Hikaru means to shine. 


End file.
